JQH&M  GOULD 


(Earttegt? 
Hthrarg 


GIFT  OF 
JANET  CAMERON   HAIGHT 


WITHDRAWN 


for  Camping  antj  SIHalfung. 


HOW  TO  CAMP  OUT. 


JOHN   M.    GOULD, 

AUTHOR  OF  HISTORY  OF  Fins  r-TK.iTH-TwsNTV-NiNTH  MAINE 
KFGIMBNT. 


NEW  YORK: 

SCRIBNER,  ARMSTRONG,  &  COMPANY. 
1877. 


COPYRIGHT. 

5v  SCRIBNER,  ARMSTRONG,  &  CO. 


Stereotyped  and  Printed  by 

Rand,  Avery,  and  Company, 

7/7  Franklin  Street, 

Boston. 


6  4  5  1 1 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER.  PAGE. 

i.  GETTING  READY 9 

ii.  SMALL  PARTIES  TRAVELLING  AFOOT  AND  CAMPING  .  14 
in.  LARGE  PARTIES  AFOOT  WITH  BAGGAGE- WAGON  .  25 
iv.  CLOTHING 35 

v.  STOVES  AND  COOKING-UTENSILS  ....  39 

vi.  COOKING 44 

vn.  MARCHING 50 

vni.  THE  CAMP 60 

ix.  TENTS,  TENT  POLES  AND  PINS 72 

x.  MISCELLANEOUS.  — GENERAL  ADVICE  .  .90 
xi.  DIARY 107 

XII.    "  HOW    TO    DO    IT,"      BY    REV.    EDWARD    EVERETT 

HALE,  &c 113 

xin.  HYGIENIC  NOTES,  BY  DR.  ELLIOTT  COUES,  U.S.A.  .  117 


2052810 


PREFACE. 


IN  these  few  pages  I  have  tried  to  prepare  some- 
thing about  camping  and  walking,  such  as  I  should 
have  enjoyed  reading  when  I  was  a  boy  ;  and,  with 
this  thought  in  my  mind,  I  some  years  ago  began  to 
collect  the  subject-matter  for  a  book  of  this  kind,  by 
jotting  down  all  questions  about  camping,  &c.,  that 
my  young  friends  asked  me.  I  have  also  taken 
pains,  when  I  have  been  off  on  a  walk,  or  have  been 
camping,  to  notice  the  parties  of  campers  and  tramp- 
ers  that  I  have  chanced  to  meet,  and  have  made  a 
note  of  their  failures  or  success.  The  experiences 
of  the  pleasant  days  when,  in  my  teens,  I  climbed 
the  mountains  of  Oxford  County,  or  sailed  through 
Casco  Bay,  have  added  largely  to  the  stock  of  notes ; 
and  finally  the  diaries  of  "  the  war,"  and  the  recol- 
lections of  "  the  field,"  have  contributed  generously ; 
so  that,  with  quotations,  and  some  help  from  other 
sources,  a  sizable  volume  is  ready. 

Although  it  is  prepared  for  young  men,  —  for 
students  more  especially,  —  it  contains  much,  I  trust, 
that  will  prove  valuable  to  campers-out  in  general. 

5 


6  PREFACE. 

I  am  under  obligations  to  Dr.  Elliott  Coues,  of 
the  United  States  Army,  for  the  valuable  advice 
contained  in  Chapter  XIII. ;  and  I  esteem  it  a  piece 
of  good  fortune  that  his  excellent  work  ("  Field  Or- 
nithology ")  should  have  been  published  before  this 
effort  of  mine,  for  I  hardly  know  where  else  I  could 
have  found  the  information  with  authority  so  unques- 
tionable. 

Prof.  Edward  S.  Morse  has  increased  the  debt  of 
gratitude  I  already  owe  him,  by  taking  his  precious 
time  to  draw  my  illustrations,  and  prepare  them  for 
the  engraver. 

Mr.  J.  Edward  Fickett  of  Portland,  a  sailmaker, 
and  formerly  of  the  navy,  has  assisted  in  the  chap- 
ter upon  tents  ;  and  there  are  numbers  of  my  young 
friends  who  will  recognize  the  results  of  their  experi- 
ence, as  they  read  these  pages,  and  will  please  to 
receive  my  thanks  for  making  them  known  to  me. 

PORTLAND,  ME.,  January,  1877. 


HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 


HOW  TO  CAMP   OUT, 


CHAPTER    I. 

GETTING     READY. 

THE  hope  of  camping  out  that  comes  over 
one  in  early  spring,  the  laying  of  plans  and 
arranging  of  details,  is,  I  sometimes  think,  even 
more  enjoyable  than  reality  itself.  As  there  is 
pleasure  in  this,  let  me  advise  you  to  give  a 
practical  turn  to  your  anticipations. 

Think  over  and  decide  whether  you  will  walk, 
go  horseback,  sail,  camp  out  in  one  place,  or 
what  you  will  do ;  then  learn  what  you  can  of 
the  route  you  propose  to  go  over,  or  the  ground 
where  you  intend  to  camp  for  the  season.  If 
you  think  of  moving  through  or  camping  in 
places  unknown  to  you,  it  is  important  to  learn 
whether  you  can  buy  provisions  and  get  lodg- 
ings along  your  route.  See  some  one,  if  you 
can,  who  has  been  where  you  think  of  going, 

9 


10  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

and  put  down  in  a  note-book  all  he  tells  you  that 
is  important. 

Have  your  clothes  made  or  mended  as  soon 
as  you  decide  what  you  will  need :  the  earlier 
you  begin,  the  less  you  will  be  hurried  at  the 
last. 

You  will  find  it  is  a  good  plan,  as  fast  as  you 
think  of  a  thing  that  you  want  to  take,  to  note 
it  on  your  memorandum  ;  and,  in  order  to  avoid 
delay  or  haste,  to  cast  your  eyes  over  the  list 
occasionally  to  see  that  the  work  of  preparation 
is  going  on  properly.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  col- 
lect all  of  your  baggage  into  one  place  as  fast  as 
it  is  ready ;  for  if  it  is  scattered  you  are  apt  to 
lose  sight  of  some  of  it,  and  start  without  it. 

As  fast  as  you  get  your  things  ready,  mark 
your  name  on  them :  mark  every  thing.  You 
can  easily  cut  a  stencil-plate  out  of  an  old  postal 
card,  and  mark  with  a  common  shoe-blacking 
brush  such  articles  as  tents,  poles,  boxes,  firkins, 
barrels,  coverings,  and  bags. 

Some  railroads  will  not  check  barrels,  bags, 
or  bundles,  nor  take  them  on  passenger  trains. 
Inquire  beforehand,  and  send  your  baggage 
ahead  if  the  road  will  not  take  it  on  your  train. 

Estimate  the  expenses  of  your  trip,  and  take 
more  money  than  your  estimate.  Carry  also  an 
abundance  of  small  change. 

Do  not  be  in  a  hurry  to  spend  money  on  new 


GETTING  READY.  n 

inventions.  Every  year  there  is  put  upon  the 
market  some  patent  knapsack,  folding  stove,  cook- 
ing-utensil, or  camp  trunk  and  cot  combined  ;  and 
there  are  always  for  sale  patent  knives,  forks, 
and  spoons  all  in  one,  drinking-cups,  folding 
portfolios,  and  marvels  of  tools.  Let  them  all 
alone  :  carry  your  pocket-knife,  and  if  you  can 
take  more  let  it  be  a  sheath  or  butcher  knife  and 
a  common  case-knife. 

Take  iron  or  cheap  metal  spoons. 

Do  not  attempt  to  carry  crockery  or  glass- 
ware upon  a  march. 

A  common  tin  cup  is  as  good  as  any  thing 
you  can  take  to  drink  from  ;  and  you  will  find  it 
best  to  carry  it  so  that  it  can  be  used  easily.1 

Take  nothing  nice  into  camp,  expecting  to 
keep  it  so :  it  is  almost  impossible  to  keep 
things  out  of  the  dirt,  dew,  rain,  dust,  or  sweat, 
and  from  being  broken  or  bruised. 

Many  young  men,  before  starting  on  their 
summer  vacation,  think  that  the  barber  must 
give  their  hair  a  "  fighting-cut ; "  but  it  is  not 
best  to  shave  the  head  so  closely,  as  it  is  then 
too  much  exposed  to  the  sun,  flies,  and  mosqui- 
toes. A  moderately  short  cut  to  the  hair,  how- 
ever, is  advisable  for  comfort  and  cleanliness. 

l  If  your  haversack-flap  has  a  strap  which  buckles  down  upon  the 
front,  you  can  run  the  strap  through  the  cup-handle  before  buckling  ; 
or  you  can  buy  a  rein-hitch  at  the  saddlery-hardware  shop,  and  fasten 
it  wherever  most  convenient  to  carry  the  cup. 


12  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

If  you  are  going  to  travel  where  you  have 
never  been  before,  begin  early  to  study  your 
map.  It  is  of  great  importance,  you  will  find, 
to  learn  all  you  can  of  the  neighborhood  where 
you  are  going,  and  to  fix  it  in  your  mind. 

So  many  things  must  be  done  at  the  last 
moment,  that  it  is  best  to  do  what  you  can 
beforehand;  but  try  to  do  nothing  that  may 
have  to  be  undone. 

Wear  what  you  please  if  it  be  comfortable  and 
durable :  do  not  mind  what  people  say.  When 
you  are  camping  you  have  a  right  to  be  inde- 
pendent. 

If  you  are  going  on  a  walking-party,  one  of 
the  best  things  you  can  do  is  to  "  train  "  a  week 
or  more  before  starting,  by  taking  long  walks 
in  the  open  air. 

Finally,  leave  your  business  in  such  shape 
that  it  will  not  call  you  back  ;  and  do  not  carry 
off  keys,  &c.,  which  others  must  have  ;  nor  neg- 
lect to  see  the  dentist  about  the  tooth  that  usu- 
ually  aches  when  you  most  want  it  to  keep  quiet. 

For  convenience  the  following  list  is  inserted 
here.  It  is  condensed  from  a  number  of  notes 
made  for  trips  of  all  sorts,  except  boating  and 
horseback-riding.  It  is  by  no  means  exhaustive, 
yet  there  are  very  many  more  things  named  than 
you  can  possibly  use  to  advantage  upon  any  one 
tour.  Be  careful  not  to  be  led  astray  by  it  into 


GETTING  READY. 


overloading  yourself,  or  filling  your  camp  with 


useless  luggage.     Be  sure  to  remember  this. 

Ammon'd  opodeldoc. 

Fishing-tackle. 

Paper 

Axe  (in  cover). 

Flour  (prepared). 

"      collars. 

Axle-grease. 

Frying-pan. 

Pens. 

Bacon. 

Guide-book. 

Pepper. 

Barometer  (pocket). 

Half-barrel. 

Pickles. 

Bean-pot. 

Halter. 

Pins. 

Beans  (in  bag). 

Hammer. 

Portfolio. 

Beef  (dried). 

Hard-bread. 

Postage  stamps. 

Beeswax. 

Harness  (examine  !). 

Postal  cards. 

Bible. 

Hatchet. 

Rope. 

Blacking  and  brush. 

Haversack. 

Rubber  blanket 

Blankets. 

Ink  (portable  bottle). 

"      coat. 

Boxes. 

Knives  (sheath,  table, 

"      boots. 

Bread  for  lunch. 

pocket  and  butcher.  )  Sail-needle. 

Brogans  (oiled). 

Lemons. 

Salt. 

Broom. 

Liniment. 

"    fish. 

Butter-dish  and  cover. 

Lunch  for  day  or  two. 

'  '    pork. 

Canned  goods. 

Maps. 

Salve. 

Chalk. 

Matches  and  safe. 

Saw. 

Cheese. 

Marline. 

Shingles  (for  plates). 

Clothes-brush. 

Meal  (in  bag). 

Shirts. 

Cod-line. 

Meal-bag  (see  p.  32). 

Shoes  and  strings. 

Coffee  and  pot. 

Medicines. 

Slippers. 

Comb. 

Milk-can. 

Soap. 

Compass. 

Molasses. 

Song-book. 

Condensed  milk. 

Money  ("change"). 

Spade. 

Cups. 

Monkey-wrench. 

Spoons. 

Currycomb. 

Mosquito-bar. 

Stove  (utensils  in  bags). 

Dates. 

Mustard  and  pot. 

Sugar. 

Dippers. 

Nails. 

Tea. 

Dishes. 

Neat's-foot  oil. 

Tents. 

Dish-towels. 

Night-shirt. 

"     poles. 

Drawers. 

Oatmeal. 

"      pins. 

Dried  fruits. 

Oil-can. 

Tooth-brush. 

Dutch  oven. 

Opera-glass. 

Towels. 

Envelopes. 

Overcoat. 

Twine. 

Figs. 

Padlock  and  key. 

Vinegar. 

Firkin  (see  p.  48). 

Pails. 

Watch  and  key. 

CHAPTER   II. 

SMALL    PARTIES    TRAVELLING    AFOOT    AND 
CAMPING. 

WE  will  consider  separately  the  many  ways  in 
which  a  party  can  spend  a  summer  vacation  ; 
and  first  we  will  start  into  wild  and  uninhabited 
regions,  afoot,  carrying  on  our  backs  blankets,  a 
tent,  frying-pan,  food,  and  even  a  shot-gun  and 
fishing-tackle.  This  is  very  hard  work  for  a 
young  man  to  follow  daily  for  any  length  of 
time  ;  and,  although  it  sounds  romantic,  yet  let  no 
party  of  young  people  think  they  can  find  pleas- 
ure in  it  many  days ;  for  if  they  meet  with  a 
reverse,  have  much  rainy  weather,  or  lose  their 
way,  some  one  will  almost  surely  be  taken  sick, 
and  all  sport  will  end. 

If  you  have  a  mountain  to  climb,  or  a  short 
trip  of  only  a  day  or  two,  I  would  not  discour- 
age you  from  going  in  this  way  ;  but  for  any 
extended  tour  it  is  too  severe  a  strain  upon  the 
physical  powers  of  one  not  accustomed  to  simi- 
lar hard  work. 


AFOOT.  —  CAMPING  OUT.  15 


AFOOT.  —  CAMPING  OUT. 

A  second  and  more  rational  way,  especially 
for  small  parties,  is  that  of  travelling  afoot  in 
the  roads  of  a  settled  country,  carrying  a 
blanket,  tent,  food,  and  cooking-utensils  ;  cook- 
ing your  meals,  and  doing  all  the  work  your- 
selves. If  you  do  not  care  to  travel  fast,  to  go 
far,  or  to  spend  much  money,  this  is  a  fine  way. 
But  let  me  caution  you  first  of  all  about  over- 
loading, for  this  is  the  most  natural  thing  to  do. 
It  is  the  tendency  of  human  nature  to  accumu- 
late, and  you  will  continually  pick  up  things  on 
your  route  that  you  will  wish  to  take  along  ;  and 
it  will  require  your  best  judgment  to  start  with 
the  least  amount  of  luggage,  and  to  keep  from 
adding  to  it. 

You  have  probably  read  that  a  soldier  carries 
a  musket,  cartridges,  blanket,  overcoat,  rations, 
and  other  things,  weighing  forty  or  fifty  pounds. 
You  will  therefore  say  to  yourself,  "  I  can  carry 
twenty."  Take  twenty  pounds,  then,  and  carry 
it  around  for  an  hour,  and  see,  how  you  like  it. 
Very  few  young  men  who  read  this  book  will 
find  it  possible  to  enjoy  themselves,  and  carry 
more  than  twenty  pounds  a  greater  distance 
than  ten  miles  a  day,  for  a  week.  To  carry 
even  the  twenty  pounds  ten  miles  a  day  is  hard 
work  to  many,  although  every  summer  there  are 


1 6  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

parties  who  do  their  fifteen,  twenty,  and  more 
miles  daily,  with  big  knapsacks  on  their  backs  ; 
but  it  is  neither  wise,  pleasant,  nor  healthful,  to 
the  average  young  man,  to  do  this. 

Let  us  cut  down  our  burden  to  the  minimum, 
and  see  how  much  it  will  be.  First  of  all,  you 
must  take  a  rubber  blanket  or  a  light  rubber 
coat,  —  something  that  will  surely  shed  water, 
and  keep  out  the  dampness  of  the  earth  when 
slept  on.  You  must  have  something  of  this 
sort,  whether  afoot,  horseback,  with  a  wagon,  or 
in  permanent  camp.1 

For  carrying  your  baggage  you  will  perhaps 
prefer  a  knapsack,  though  many  old  soldiers  are 
not  partial  to  that  article.  There  are  also  for 
sale  broad  straps  and  other  devices  as  substi- 
tutes for  the  knapsack.  Whatever  you  take,  be 
sure  it  has  broad  straps  to  go  over  your  shoul- 
ders :  otherwise  you  will  be  constantly  annoyed 
from  their  cutting  and  chafing  you. 

You  can  dispense  with  the  knapsack  alto- 
gether in  the  same  way  that  soldiers  do,  —  by 
rolling  up  in  your  blanket  whatever  you  have  to 

1  A  German  officer  tells  me  that  his  comrades  in  the  Franco- 
Prussian  war  of  1870-1  had  no  rubber  blankets ;  nor  had  they  any 
shelter-tents  such  as  our  Union  soldiers  used  in  1861-5  as  a  make-shift 
when  their  rubbers  were  lost.  But  this  is  nothing  to  you :  German 
discipline  compelled  the  soldiers  to  carry  a  big  cloak  which  sheds 
water  quite  well,  and  is  useful  to  a  soldier  for  other  purposes  :  but  the 
weight  and  bulk  condemn  it  for  pleasure-seekers. 


AFOOT.  —  CA MPING   OUT. 


carry.  You  will  need  to  take  some  pains  in  this, 
and  perhaps  call  a  comrade  to  assist  you.  Lay 
out  the  blanket  flat,  and  roll  it  as  tightly  as  pos- 
sible without  folding  it,  en- 
closing the  other  baggage1 
as  you  roll ;  then  tie  it  in  a 
number  of  places  to  prevent 
unrolling,  and  the  shifting 
about  of  things  inside  ;  and 
finally  tie  or  strap  together 
the  two  ends,  and  throw  the 
ring  thus  made  over  the 
shoulder,  and  wear  it  as  you 
do  the  strap  of  the  haver- 
sack, —  diagonally  across  the 
body. 

The  advantages  of  the  roll 
over  the  knapsack  are  im- 
portant. You  save  the  two 
and  a  half  pounds  weight ; 
the  roll  is  very  much  easier 
to  the  shoulder,  and  is  easier 
shifted  from  one  shoulder  to 
the  other,  or  taken  off;  and  you  can  ease  the 

1  In  general  it  is  better  to  put  the  shelter-tent  in  the  roll,  and  to 
keep  out  the  rubber  blanket,  for  you  may  need  the  last  before  you  camp. 
You  can  roll  the  rubber  blanket  tightly  around  the  other  roll  (the  cloth 
side  out,  as  the  rubber  side  is  too  slippery),  and  thus  be  able  to  take  it 
off  readily  without  disturbing  the  other  things.  You  can  also  roll  the 
rubber  blanket  separately,  and  link  it  to  the  large  roll  after  the  manner 
of  two  links  of  a  chain. 


i8  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

burden  a  little  with  your  hands.  It  feels  bulky 
at  first,  but  you  soon  become  used  to  it.  On 
the  whole,  you  will  probably  prefer  the  roll  to 
the  knapsack ;  but  if  you  carry  much  weight 
you  will  very  soon  condemn  whatever  way  you 
carry  it,  and  wish  for  a  change. 

A  haversack  is  almost  indispensable  in  all 
pedestrian  tours.  Even  if  you  have  your  bag- 
gage in  a  wagon,  it  is  best  to  wear  one,  or  some 
sort  of  a  small  bag  furnished  with  shoulder- 
straps,  so  that  you  can  carry  a  lunch,  writing- 
materials,  guide-book,  and  such  other  small  arti- 
cles as  you  constantly  need.  You  can  buy  a 
haversack  at  the  stores  where  sportsmen's  out- 
fits are  sold ;  or  you  can  make  one  of  enamel- 
cloth  or  rubber  drilling,  say  eleven  inches  deep 
by  nine  wide,  with  a  strap  of  the  same  ma- 
terial neatly  doubled  and  sewed  together,  forty 
to  forty-five  inches  long,  and  one  and  three- 
quarters  inches  wide.  Cut  the  back  piece  about 
nineteen  inches  long,  so  as  to  allow  for  a  flap 
eight  inches  long  to  fold  over  the  top  and  down 
the  front.  Sew  the  strap  on  the  upper  corners 
of  the  back  piece,  having  first  sewed  a  facing 
inside,  to  prevent  its  tearing  out  the  back. 

WOOLLEN    BLANKET. 

Next  in  the  order  of  necessities  is  a  woollen 
blanket,  —  a  good  stout  one,  rather  than  the 


WOOLLEN  BLANKET,  19 

light  or  flimsy  one  that  you  may  think  of  tak- 
ing. In  almost  all  of  the  Northern  States  the 
summer  nights  are  apt  to  be  chilly;  while  in  the 
mountainous  regions,  and  at  the  seaside,  they 
are  often  fairly  cold.  A  lining  of  cotton  drill- 
ing will  perhaps  make  a  thin  blanket  service- 
able. This  lining  does  not  need  to  be  quite  as 
long  nor  as  wide  as  the  blanket,  since  the  ends 
and  edges  of  the  blanket  are  used  to  tuck  under 
the  sleeper.  One  side  of  the  lining  should  be 
sewed  to  the  blanket,  and  the  other  side  and  the 
ends  buttoned  ;  or  you  may  leave  off  the  end 
buttons.  You  can  thus  dry  it,  when  wet,  better 
than  if  it  were  sewed  all  around.  You  can  lay 
what  spare  clothing  you  have,  and  your  day- 
clothes,  between  the  lining  and  blanket,  when 
the  night  is  very  cold. 

In  almost  any  event,  you  will  want  to  carry 
a  spare  shirt ;  and  in  cold  weather  you  can  put 
this  on,  when  you  will  find  that  a  pound  of  shirt 
is  as  warm  as  two  pounds  of  overcoat. 

If  you  take  all  I  advise,  you  will  not  abso- 
lutely need  an  overcoat,  and  can  thus  save  carry- 
ing a  number  of  pounds. 

The  tent  question  we  will  discuss  elsewhere  ; 
but  you  can  hardly  do  with  less  than  a  piece  of 
shelter-tent.  If  you  have  a  larger  kind,  the  man 
who  carries  it  must  have  some  one  to  assist  him 
in  carrying  his  own  stuff,  so  that  the  burden 
may  be  equalized. 


20  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

If  you  take  tent-poles,  they  will  vex  you  sorely, 
and  tempt  you  to  throw  them  away:  if  you  do 
not  carry  them,  you  will  wonder  when  night 
comes  why  you  did  not  take  them.  If  your  tent 
is  not  large,  so  that  you  can  use  light  ash  poles, 
I  would  at  least  start  with  them,  unless  the  tent 
is  a  "  shelter,"  as  poles  for  this  can  be  easily 
cut. 

You  will  have  to  carry  a  hatchet ;  and  the 
kind  known  as  the  axe-pattern  hatchet  is  better 
than  the  shingling-hatchet  for  driving  tent-pins. 
I  may  as  well  caution  you  here  not  to  try  to 
drive  tent-pins  with  the  flat  side  of  the  axe  or 
hatchet,  for  it  generally  ends  in  breaking  the 
handle,  —  quite  an  accident  when  away  from 
home. 

For  cooking-utensils  on  a  trip  like  that  we  are 
now  proposing,  you  will  do  well  to  content  your- 
self with  a  frying-pan,  coffee-pot,  and  perhaps 
a  tin  pail ;  you  can  do  wonders  at  cooking  with 
these. 

We  will  consider  the  matter  of  cooking  and 
food  elsewhere  ;  but  the  main  thing  now  is  to 
know  beforehand  where  you  are  going,  and  to 
learn  if  there  are  houses  and  shops  on  the  route. 
Of  course  you  must  have  food  ;  but,  if  you  have 
to  carry  three  or  four  days'  rations  in  your  haver- 
sack, I  fear  that  many  of  my  young  friends  will 
fail  to  see  the  pleasure  of  their  trip.  Yet  carry 


WOOLLEN  BLANKET.  21 

them  if  you  must :  do  not  risk  starvation,  what- 
ever you  do.  Also  remember  to  always  have 
something  in  your  haversack,  no  matter  how  easy 
it  is  to  buy  what  you  want 

I  have  now  enumerated  the  principal  articles 
of  weight  that  a  party  must  take  on  a  walking- 
tour  when  they  camp  out,  and  cook  as  they  go. 
If  the  trip  is  made  early  or  late  in  the  season, 
you  must  take  more  clothing.  If  you  are  gun- 
ning, your  gun,  &c.,  add  still  more  weight.  Every 
one  will  carry  towel,  soap,  comb,  and  tooth- 
brush. 

Then  there  is  a  match-safe  (which  should  be 
air-tight,  or  the  matches  will  soon  spoil),  a  box 
of  salve,  the  knives,  fork,  spoon,  dipper,  port- 
folio, paper,  Testament,  &c.  Every  man  also 
has  something  in  particular  that  "he  wouldn't 
be  without  for  any  thing."  l 

There  should  also  be  in  every  party  a  clothes- 
brush,  mosquito-netting,  strings,  compass,  song- 
book,  guide-book,  and  maps,  which  should  be 
company  property. 

I  have  supposed  every  one  to  be  dressed  about 
as  usual,  and  have  made  allowance  only  for  extra 
weight ;  viz.,  — 

l  I  knew  an  officer  in  the  army,  who  carried  a  rubber  air-pillow 
through  thick  and  thin,  esteeming  it,  after  his  life  and  his  rations,  the 
greatest  necessity  of  his  existence.  Another  officer,  when  transporta- 
tion was  cut  down,  held  to  his  camp-chair.  Almost  every  one  has  his 
whim. 


22  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

Rubber  blanket 2^  pounds. 

Stout  woollen  blanket  and  lining     .         .  A,\ 

Knapsack,  haversack,  and  canteen       .  4        " 

Drawers,  spare  shirt,  socks,  and  collars  2 

Half  a  shelter-tent,  and  ropes          .        .  2 
Toilet  articles,  stationery,  and  small  wares,  2        " 

Food  for  one  day 3 

Total       .        .        .        .        .         .20  pounds. 

You  may  be  able  to  reduce  the  weight  here 
given  by  taking  a  lighter  blanket,  and  no  knap- 
sack or  canteen ;  but  most  likely  the  food  that 
you  actually  put  in  your  haversack  will  weigh 
more  than  three  pounds.  You  must  also  carry 
your  share  of  the  following  things  :  — 

Frying-pan,  coffee-pot,  and  pail         .        .     3  pounds. 
Hatchet,  sheath-knife,  case,  and  belt    .          3       " 
Company  property  named  on  last  page      .     3       " 

Then  if  you  carry  a  heavier  kind  of  tent  than 
the  "  shelter,"  or  carry  tent-poles,  you  must  add 
still  more.  Allow  also  nearly  three  pounds  a 
day  per  man  for  food,  if  you  carry  more  than 
enough  for  one  day ;  and  remember,  that  when 
tents,  blankets,  and  clothes  get  wet,  it  adds  about 
a  quarter  to  their  weight. 

You  see,  therefore,  that  you  have  the  prospect 
of  hard  work.  I  do  not  wish  to  discourage  you 
from  going  in  this  way :  on  the  contrary,  there 
is  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  to  be  had  by  doing  so. 
But  the  majority  of  men  under  twenty  years  of 


OTHER    WAYS  OF  GOING  AFOOT.  23 

age  will  find  no  pleasure  in  carrying  so  much 
weight  more  than  ten  miles  a  day ;  and  if  a  party 
of  them  succeed  in  doing  so,  and  in  attending  to 
all  of  the  necessary  work,  without  being  worse 
for  it,  they  will  be  fortunate. 

In  conclusion,  then,  if  you  walk,  and  carry  all 
your  stuff,  camping,  and  doing  all  your  work,  and 
cooking  as  you  go,  you  should  travel  but  few 
miles  a  day,  or,  better  still,  should  have  many 
days  when  you  do  not  move  your  camp  at  all. 

OTHER  WAYS   OF   GOING   AFOOT. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  say  much  about  the  other 
ways  of  going  afoot.  If  you  can  safely  dispense 
with  cooking  and  carrying  food,  much  will  be 
gained  for  travel  and  observation.  The  expenses, 
however,  will  be  largely  increased.  If  you  can 
also  dispense  with  camping,  you  ought  then  to 
be  able  to  walk  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  daily,  and 
do  a  good  deal  of  sight-seeing  besides.  You 
should  be  in  practice,  however,  to  do  this. 

You  must  know  beforehand  about  your  route, 
and  whether  the  country  is  settled  where  you  are 
going. 

Keep  in  mind,  when  you  are  making  plans, 
that  it  is  easier  for  one  or  two  to  get  accommo- 
dation at  the  farmhouses  than  for  a  larger  party. 

I  heard  once  of  two  fellows,  who,  to  avoid 
buying  and  carrying  a  tent,  slept  on  hay-mows, 


24  HOW  TO  CAMP  OUT. 

usually  without  permission.  It  looks  to  me  as 
if  those  young  men  were  candidates  for  the 
penitentiary.  If  you  cannot  travel  honorably, 
and  without  begging,  I  should  advise  you  to  stay 
at  home. 


CHAPTER  III. 

LARGE  PARTY  TRAVELLING  AFOOT  WITH 
BAGGAGE-WAGON. 

WITH  a  horse  and  wagon  to  haul  your  baggage 
you  can  of  course  carry  more.  First  of  all  take 
another  blanket  or  two,  a  light  overcoat,  more 
spare  clothing,  an  axe,  and  try  to  have  a  larger 
tent  than  the  "  shelter." 

If  the  body  of  the  wagon  has  high  sides,  it 
will  not  be  a  very  difficult  task  to  make  a  cloth 
cover  that  will  shed  water,  and  you  will  then  have 
what  is  almost  as  good  as  a  tent :  you  can  also 
put  things  under  the  wagon.  You  must  have  a 
cover  of  some  sort  for  your  wagon-load  while  on 
the  march,  to  prevent  injury  from  showers  that 
overtake  you,  and  to  keep  out  dust  and  mud.  A 
tent-fly  will  answer  for  this  purpose. 

You  want  also  to  carry  a  few  carriage-bolts, 
some  nails,  tacks,  straps,  a  hand-saw,  and  axle- 
wrench  or  monkey-wrench.  I  have  always  found 
use  for  a  sail-needle  and  twine ;  and  I  carry  them 

G4511 


26  HOW  TO  CAMP  OUT. 

now,  even  when  I  go  for  a  few  days,  and  carry  all 
on  my  person. 

The  first  drawback  that  appears,  when  you  be- 
gin to  plan  for  a  horse  and  wagon,  is  the  expense. 
You  can  overcome  this  in  part  by  adding  mem- 
bers to  your  company  ;  but  then  you  meet  what 
is  perhaps  a  still  more  serious  difficulty,  —  the 
management  of  a  large  party. 

Another  inconvenience  of  large  numbers  is  that 
each  member  must  limit  his  baggage.  You  are 
apt  to  accumulate  too  great  bulk  for  the  wagon, 
rather  than  too  great  weight  for  the  horse. 

Where  there  are  many  there  must  be  a  cap- 
tain, —  some  one  that  the  others  are  responsible 
to,  and  who  commands  their  respect.  It  is  neces- 
sary that  those  who  join  such  a  party  should 
understand  that  they  ought  to  yield  to  him, 
whether  they  like  it  or  not. 

The  captain  should  always  consult  the  wishes 
of  the  others,  and  should  never  let  selfish  con- 
siderations influence  him.  Every  day  his  decis- 
ions as  to  what  the  party  shall  do  will  tend  to 
make  some  one  dissatisfied ;  and  although  it  is 
the  duty  of  the  dissatisfied  ones  to  yield,  yet, 
since  submission  to  another's  will  is  so  hard,  the 
captain  must  try  to  prevent  any  "  feeling,"  and 
above  all  to  avoid  even  the  appearance  of  tyranny. 

System  and  order  become  quite  essential  as 
our  numbers  increase,  and  it  is  well  to  have  the 


LARGE  PARTY  TRAVELLING  AFOOT.       27 

members  take  daily  turns  at  the  several  duties ; 
and  during  that  day  the  captain  must  hold  each 
man  to  a  strict  performance  of  his  special  trust, 
and  allow  no  shirking. 

After  a  few  days  some  of  the  party  will  show 
a  willingness  to  accept  particular  burdens  all  of 
the  time  ;  and,  if  these  burdens  are  the  more 
disagreeable  ones,  the  captain  will  do  well  to 
make  the  detail  permanent. 

Nothing  tends  to  make  ill  feeling  more  than 
having  to  do  another's  work ;  and,  where  there 
are  many  in  a  party,  each  one  is  apt  to  leave 
something  for  others  to  do.  The  captain  must 
be  on  the  watch  for  these  things,  and  try  to 
prevent  them.  It  is  well  for  him,  and  for  all, 
to  know  that  he  who  has  been  a  "  good  fellow  " 
and  genial  companion  at  home  may  prove  quite 
otherwise  during  a  tour  of  camping.  Besides 
this,  it  is  hardly  possible  for  a  dozen  young  men 
to  be  gone  a  fortnight  on  a  trip  of  this  kind 
without  some  quarrelling  ;  and,  as  this  mars  the 
sport  so  much,  all  should  be  careful  not  to  give 
or  take  offence.  If  you  are  starting  oiit  on  your 
first  tour,  keep  this  fact  constantly  in  mind. 

Perhaps  I  can  illustrate  this  division  of  labor. 

We  will  suppose  a  party  of  twelve  with  one 
horse  and  an  open  wagon,  four  tents,  a  stove, 
and  other  baggage.  First,  number  the  party, 
and  assign  to  each  the  duties  for  the  first  day. 


28  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

1.  Captain.     Care  of  horse  and  wagon  ;  load- 
ing and  unloading  wagon. 

2.  Jack.     Loading  and  unloading  wagon. 

3.  Joe.     Captain's  assistant  and   errand-boy; 
currying  horse. 

4.  Mr.  Smith.     Cooking  and  purchasing. 

5.  Sam.     Wood,  water,  fire,  setting  of  table. 

6.  Tom.         "  "       "          "         .    " 

7.  Mr.  Jones. 

8.  Henry. 

9.  Bob. 

10.  Senior. 

11.  William. 

12.  Jake. 

The  party  is  thus  arranged  in  four  squads  of 
three  men  each,  the  oldest  at  the  heads.  One 
half  of  the  party  is  actively  engaged  for  to-day, 
while  the  other  half  has  little  to  do  of  a  general 
nature,  except  that  all  must  take  turns  in  leading 
the  horse,  and  marching  behind  the  wagon.  It 
is  essential  that  this  be  done,  and  it  is  best  that 
only  the  stronger  members  lead  the  horse. 

To-morrow  No.  7  takes  No.  I's  place,  No.  8 
takes  No.  2's,  and  so  on ;  and  the  first  six  have 
their  semi-holiday. 

In  a  few  days  each  man  will  have  shown  a 
special  willingness  for  some  duty,  which  by  com- 
mon consent  and  the  captain's  approval  he  is 


LARGE  PARTY  TRAVELLING  AFOOT.       29 

permitted  to  take.     The  party  then  is  re-organ- 
ized as  follows :  — 

1.  Captain.     General   oversight;   provider  of 
food  and  provender. 

2.  Jack.     Washing  and  the  care  of  dishes. 

3.  Joe.     (Worthless.) 

4.  Mr.  Smith.     Getting  breakfast   daily,  and 
doing  all  of  the  cooking  on  Sunday. 

5.  Sam.     (Gone  home,  sick  of  camping.) 

6.  Tom.     Wood,  water,  fire,  setting  and  clear- 
ing table. 

7.  Mr.  Jones.     Getting  supper  all  alone. 

8.  Henry.     Jack's  partner.     Care  of  food. 

9.  Bob.     Currying  horse,  oiling  axles,  care  of 
harness  and  wagon. 

10.  Senior.    Packing  wagon.    Marching  behind. 

11.  William.       "  "  "  " 

12.  Jake.     Running  errands. 

The  daily  detail  for  leading  the  horse  will  have 
to  be  made,  as  before,  from  the  stronger  members 
of  the  party  ;  and  if  any  special  duty  arises  it 
must  still  be  done  by  volunteering,  or  by  the 
captain's  suggestion. 

In  this  arrangement  there  is  nothing  to  pre- 
vent one  member  from  aiding  another  ;  in  fact, 
where  all  are  employed,  a  better  feeling  prevails, 
and,  the  work  being  clone  more  quickly,  there  is 
more  time  for  rest  and  enjoyment. 


30  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

To  get  a  horse  will  perhaps  tax  your  judgment 
and  capability  as  much  as  any  thing  in  all  your 
preparation  ;  and  on  this  point,  where  you  need 
so  much  good  advice,  I  can  only  give  you  that 
of  a  general  nature. 

The  time  for  camping  out  is  when  horses  are 
in  greatest  demand  for  farming  purposes  ;  and 
you  will  find  it  difficult  to  hire  of  any  one  ex- 
cept livery-stable  men,  whose  charges  are  so  high 
that  you  cannot  afford  to  deal  with  them.  You 
will  have  to  hunt  a  long  time,  and  in  many 
places,  before  you  will  find  your  animal.  It  is 
not  prudent  to  take  a  valuable  horse,  and  I  ad- 
vise you  not  to  do  so  unless  the  owner  or  a  man 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  horses  is  in  the  party. 
You  may  perhaps  be  able  to  hire  horse,  wagon, 
and  driver ;  but  a  hired  man  is  an  objectionable 
feature,  for,  besides  the  expense,  such  a  man  is 
usually  disagreeable  company. 

My  own  experience  is,  that  it  is  cheaper  to 
buy  a  horse  outright,  and  to  hire  a  harness  and 
wagon  ;  and,  since  I  am  not  a  judge  of  horse- 
flesh, I  get  some  friend  who  is,  to  go  with  me 
and  advise.  I  find  that  I  can  almost  always  buy 
a  horse,  even  when  I  cannot  hire.  Twenty  to 
fifty  dollars  will  bring  as  good  an  animal  as  I 
need.  He  may  be  old,  broken  down,  spavined, 
wind-broken,  or  lame  ;  but  if  he  is  not  sickly,  or 
if  his  lameness  is  not  from  recent  injury,  it  is 


WAGONS.  31 

not  hard  for  him  to  haul  a  fair  load  ten  or  fifteen 
miles  a  day,  when  he  is  helped  over  the  hard 
places. 

So  now,  if  you  pay  fifty  dollars  for  a  horse, 
you  can  expect  to  sell  him  for  about  twenty 
or  twenty-five  dollars,  unless  you  were  greatly 
cheated,  or  have  abused  your  brute  while  on  the 
trip,  both  of  which  errors  you  must  be  careful  to 
avoid.  It  is  a  simple  matter  of  arithmetic  to 
calculate  what  is  best  for  you  to  do  ;  but  I  hope 
on  this  horse  question  you  may  have  the  benefit 
of  advice  from  some  one  who  has  had  experience 
with  the  ways  of  the  world.  You  will  need  it 
very  much. 

WAGONS. 

If  you  have  the  choice  of  wagons,  take  one 
that  is  made  for  carrying  light,  bulky  goods,  for 
your  baggage  will  be  of  that  order.  One  with  a 
large  body  and  high  sides,  or  a  covered  wagon, 
will  answer.  In  districts  where  the  roads  are 
mountainous,  rough,  and  rocky,  wagons  hung  on 
thoroughbraces  appear  to  suit  the  people  the 
best ;  but  you  will  have  no  serious  difficulty  with 
good  steel  springs  if  you  put  in  rubber  bumpers, 
and  also  strap  the  body  to  the  axles,  thus  pre- 
venting the  violent  shutting  and  opening  of  the 
springs  ;  for  you  must  bear  in  mind  that  the 
main  leaf  of  a  steel  spring  is  apt  to  break  by 
the  sudden  pitching  upward  of  the  wagon-body. 


32  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

It  has  been  my  fortune  twice  to  have  to  carry 
large  loads  in  small  low-sided  wagons  ;  and  it 
proved  very  convenient  to  have  two  or  three 
half -barrels  to  keep  food  and  small  articles  in, 
and  to  roll  the  bedding  in  rolls  three  or  four  feet 
wide,  which  were  packed  in  the  wagon  upon 
their  ends.  The  private  baggage  was  carried  in 
meal-bags,  and  the  tents  in  bags  made  expressly 
to  hold  them  ;  we  could  thus  load  the  wagon 
securely  with  but  little  tying. 

For  wagons  with  small  and  low  bodies,  it 
would  be  well  to  put  a  light  rail  fourteen  to 
eighteen  inches  above  the  sides,  and  hold  it  there 
by  six  or  eight  posts  resting  on  the  floor,  and 
confined  to  the  sides  of  the  body. 

Drive  carefully  and  slowly  over  bad  places. 
It  makes  a  great  deal  of  difference  whether  a 
wheel  strikes  a  rock  with  the  horse  going  at  a 
trot,  or  at  a  walk. 

HARNESS. 

If  your  load  is  heavy,  and  the  roads  very  hard, 
or  the  daily  distance  long,  you  had  better  have  a 
collar  for  the  horse :  otherwise  a  breastplate-har- 
ness will  do.  In  your  kit  of  tools  it  is  well  to 
have  a  few  straps,  an  awl,  and  waxed  ends,  against 
the  time  that  something  breaks.  Oil  the  harness 
before  you  start,  and  carry  about  a  pint  of  neat's- 
foot  oil,  which  you  can  also  use  upon  the  men's 


ADVANTAGES  AND  DISADVANTAGES.     33 

boots.  At  night  look  out  that  the  harness  and 
all  of  your  baggage  are  sheltered  from  dew  and 
rain,  rats  and  mice. 

ADVANTAGES    AND    DISADVANTAGES    OF    THIS 
MODE    OF    TRAVEL. 

This  way  of  travelling  is  peculiarly  adapted 
to  a  party  of  different  ages,  rather  than  for  one 
exclusively  of  young  men.  It  is  especially  suit- 
able where  there  are  ladies  who  wish  to  walk  and 
camp,  or  for  an  entire  family,  or  for  a  school  with 
its  teachers.  The  necessity  of  a  head  to  a  party 
will  hardly  be  recognized  by  young  men  ;  and, 
even  if  it  is,  they  are  still  unwilling,  as  a 
general  rule,  to  submit  to  unaccustomed  re- 
straint. 

The  way  out  of  this  difficulty  is  for  one  man 
to  invite  his  comrades  to  join  his  party,  and  to 
make  all  the  others  understand,  from  first  to  last, 
that  they  are  indebted  to  him  for  the  privilege 
of  going.  It  is  then  somewhat  natural  for  the 
invited  guests  to  look  to  their  leader,  and  to  be 
content  with  his  decisions. 

The  best  of  men  get  into  foolish  dissensions 
when  off  on  a  jaunt,  unless  there  is  one,  whose 
voice  has  authority  in  it,  to  direct  the  movements. 

I  knew  a  party  of  twenty  or  more  that  trav- 
elled in  this  way,  and  were  directed  by  a  trio 
composed  of  two  gentlemen  and  one  lady. 


34 


HO W  TO   CAMP  OUT. 


This  arrangement  proved  satisfactory  to  all  con- 
cerned.1 

It  has  been  assumed  in  all  cases  that  some 
one  will  lead  the  horse,  —  not  ride  in  the  loaded 
wagon,  —  and  that  two  others  will  go  behind  and 
not  far  off,  to  help  the  horse  over  the  very  diffi- 
cult places,  as  well  as  to  have  an  eye  on  the  load, 
that  none  of  it  is  lost  off,  or  scrapes  against  the 
wheels.  Whoever  leads  must  be  careful  not  to 
fall  under  the  horse  or  wagon,  nor  to  fall  under 
the  horse's  feet,  should  he  stumble.  These  are 
daily  and  hourly  risks  :  hence  no  small  boy  should 
take  this  duty.2 

1  I  never  heard  of  a  party  exclusively  of  young  men  going  on  a 
tour  of  this  kind,  and  consequently  I  cannot  write  their  experiences  ; 
but  I  can  easily  imagine  their  troubles,  quarrels,  and  separation  into 
cliques.     I  once  went  as  captain  of  a  party  of  ten,  composed  of  ladies, 
gentlemen,  and  schoolboys.      We  walked  around  the  White  Moun- 
tains from  North  Conway  to  Jefferson  and  back,  by  way  of  Jackson. 
It  cost  each  of  us  a  dollar  and  thirty-two  cents  a  day  for  sixteen  days, 
including  railroad  fares  to  and  from  Portland,  but  excluding  the  cost 
of  clothes,  tents,  and  cooking-utensils.     Another  time  a  similar  party 
of  twelve  walked  from  Centre  Harbor,  N.H.,  to  Bethel,  Me.,  in  seven- 
teen days,  at  a  daily  cost  of  a  dollar  and  two  cents,  reckoning  as  before. 
In  both  cases,  "  my  right  there  was  none  to  dispute ;  "  and  by  borrow- 
ing a  horse  the  first  time,  and  selling  at  a  loss  of  only  five  dollars  the 
second,  our  expenses  for  the  horse  were  small. 

2  In  one  of  my  tours  around  the  mountains,  a  lad  of  sixteen,  in 
attempting  to  hold  up  the  horse's  head  as  they  were  running  down  hill, 
was  hit  by  the  horse's  fore-leg,  knocked  down,  and  run  over  by  both 
wheels. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CLOTHING. 

IF  your  means  allow  it,  have  a  suit  especially 
for  the  summer  tour,  and  sufficiently  in  fashion 
to  indicate  that  you  are  a  traveller  or  camper. 

SHIRTS. 

Loose  woollen  shirts,  of  dark  colors  and  with 
flowing  collars,  will  probably  always  be  the  proper 
thing.  Avoid  gaudiness  and  too  much  trimming. 
Large  pockets,  one  over  each  breast,  are  "  handy ; " 
but  they  spoil  the  fit  of  the  shirt,  and  are  always 
wet  from  perspiration.  I  advise  you  to  have  the 
collar-binding  of  silesia,  and  fitted  the  same  as 
on  a  cotton  shirt,  only  looser ;  then  have  a  num- 
ber of  woollen  collars  (of  different  styles  if  you 
choose),  to  button  on  in  the  same  manner  as  a 
linen  collar.  You  can  thus  keep  your  neck  cool 
or  warm,  and  can  wash  the  collars,  which  soil  so 
easily,  without  washing  the  whole  shirt.  The 
shirt  should  reach  nearly  to  the  knees,  to  prevent 
disorders  in  the  stomach  and  bowels.  There  are 

35 


36  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

many  who  will  prefer  cotton-and-wool  goods  to 
all-wool  for  shirts.  The  former  do  not  shrink  as 
much,  nor  are  they  as  expensive,  as  the  latter. 

DRAWERS. 

If  you  wear  drawers,  better  turn  them  inside 
out,  so  that  the  seams  may  not  chafe  you.  They 
must  be  loose. 

SHOES. 

You  need  to  exercise  more  care  in  the  selec- 
tion of  shoes  than  of  any  other  article  of  your 
outfit.  Tight  boots  put  an  end  to  all  pleasure,  if 
worn  on  the  march ;  heavy  boots  or  shoes,  with 
enormously  thick  soles,  will  weary  you  ;  thin 
boots  will  not  protect  the  feet  sufficiently,  and 
are  liable  to  burst  or  wear  out ;  Congress  boots 
are  apt  to  bind  the  cords  of  the  leg,  and  thus 
make  one  lame ;  short-toed  boots  or  shoes  hurt 
the  toes ;  loose  ones  do  the  same  by  allowing  the 
foot  to  slide  into  the  toe  of  the  boot  or  shoe ; 
low-cut  shoes  continually  fill  with  dust,  sand,  or 
mud. 

For  summer  travel,  I  think  you  can  find 
nothing  better  than  brogans  reaching  above  the 
ankles,  and  fastening  by  laces  or  buttons  as  you 
prefer,  but  not  so  tight  as  to  bind  the  cords  of 
the  foot.  See  that  they  bind  nowhere  except 
upon  the  instep.  The  soles  should  be  wide,  and 
the  heels  wide  and  low  (about  two  and  three- 


SHOES.  37 

quarter  inches  wide  by  one  inch  high) ;  have 
soles  and  heels  well  filled  with  iron  nails.  Be 
particular  not  to  have  steel  nails,  which  slip  so 
badly  on  the  rocks. 

Common  brogans,  such  as  are  sold  in  every 
country-store,  are  the  next  best  things  to  walk 
in  ;  but  it  is  hard  to  find  a  pair  that  will  fit  a  dif- 
ficult foot,  and  they  readily  let  in  dust  and  earth. 

Whatever  you  wear,  break  them  in  well,  and 
oil  the  tops  thoroughly  with  neat's-foot  oil  before 
you  start ;  and  see  that  there  are  no  nails,  either 
in  sight  or  partly  covered,  to  cut  your  feet. 

False  soles  are  a  good  thing  to  have  if  your 
shoes  will  admit  them  :  they  help  in  keeping  the 
feet  dry,  and  in  drying  the  shoes  when  they  are 
wet. 

Woollen  or  merino  stockings  are  usually  pref- 
erable to  cotton,  though  for  some  feet  cotton 
ones  are  by  far  the  best.  Any  darning  should 
be  done  smoothly,  since  a  bunch  in  the  stocking 
is  apt  to  bruise  the  skin. 

PANTALOONS. 

Be  sure  to  have  the  trousers  loose,  and  made 
of  rather  heavier  cloth  than  is  usually  worn  at 
home  in  summer.  They  should  be  cut  high  in 
the  waist  to  cover  the  stomach  well,  and  thus 
prevent  sickness. 

The  question  of  wearing  "  hip-pants,"  or  using 


38  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

suspenders,  is  worth  some  attention.  The  yacht- 
ing-shirt by  custom  is  worn  with  hip-pantaloons, 
and  often  with  a  belt  around  the  waist ;  and  this 
tightening  appears  to  do  no  mischief  to  the 
majority  of  people.  Some,  however,  find  it  very 
uncomfortable,  and  others  are  speedily  attacked 
by  pains  and  indigestion  in  consequence  of  hav- 
ing a  tight  waist.  If  you  are  in  the  habit  of 
wearing  suspenders,  do  not  change  now.  If  you 
do  not  like  to  wear  them  over  the  shirt,  you  can 
wear  them  over  a  light  under-shirt,  and  have  the 
suspender  straps  come  through  small  holes  in 
the  dress-shirt.  In  that  case  cut  the  holes  low 
enough  so  that  the  dress-shirt  will  fold  over  the 
top  of  the  trousers,  and  give  the  appearance  of 
hip-pantaloons.  If  you  undertake  to  wear  the 
suspenders  next  to  the  skin,  they  will  gall  you. 
A  fortnight's  tramping  and  camping  will  about 
ruin  a  pair  of  trousers :  therefore  it  is  not  well 
to  have  them  made  of  any  thing  very  expensive. 
Camping  offers  a  fine  opportunity  to  wear  out 
old  clothes,  and  to  throw  them  away  when  you 
have  done  with  them.  You  can  send  home  by 
mail  or  express  your  soiled  underclothes  that 
are  too  good  to  lose  or  to  be  washed  by  your 
unskilled  hands. 


CHAPTER  V. 

STOVES   AND    COOKING-UTENSILS. 

IF  you  have  a  permanent  camp,  or  if  moving 
you  have  wagon-room  enough,  you  will  find  a 
stove  to  be  most  valuable  property.  If  your 
party  is  large  it  is  almost  a  necessity. 

For  a  permanent  camp  you  can  generally  get 
something  second-hand  at  a  stove-dealer's  or  the 
junk-shop.  For  the  march  you  will  need  a  stove 
of  sheet  iron.  About  the  simplest,  smallest,  and 
cheapest  thing  is  a  round-cornered  box  made 
of  sheet  iron,  eighteen  to  twenty-four  inches 
long  and  nine  to  twelve  inches  high.  It  needs 
no  bottom :  the  ground  will  answer  for  that. 
The  top,  which  is  fixed,  is  a  flat  piece  of  sheet 
iron,  with  a  hole  near  one  end  large  enough  for 
a  pot  or  pan,  and  a  hole  (collar)  for  the  funnel 
near  the  other  end.  It  is  well  also  to  have  a 
small  hole,  with  a  slide  to  open  and  close  it  with, 
in  the  end  of  the  box  near  the  bottom,  so  as  to 
put  in  wood,  and  regulate  the  draught  ;  but  you 
can  dispense  with  the  slide  by  raising  the  stove 

39 


HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 


from  the  ground  when  you  want  to  admit  fuel  or 
air. 

I  have  used  a  more  elaborate  article  than  this. 
It  is  an  old  sheet-iron  stove  that  came  home 
from  the  army,  and  has  since  been  taken  down 
the  coast  and  around  the  mountains  with  parties 

of  ten  to  twenty. 
It  was  almost  an 
indispensable  ar- 
ticle with  such 
large  companies. 
It  is  a  round-cor- 
nered box,  twen- 
ty-one inches 
long  by  twenty 
wide,  and  thir- 
teen inches  high, 
with  a  slide  in 
the  front  end  to 
admit  air  and 
fuel.  The  bot- 
tom is  fixed  to 
the  body  ;  the 
top  removes,  and 

is  fitted  loosely  to  the  body  after  the  style 
of  a  firkin-cover,  i.e.,  the  flange,  which  is  deep 
and  strong,  goes  outside  the  stove.  There  are 
two  holes  on  the  top  5!  inches  in  diameter,  and 
two  7!  inches,  besides  the  collar  for  the  funnel ; 


STOVES  AND   COOKING-UTENSILS.         41 

and  these  holes  have  covers  neatly  fitted.  All 
of  the  cooking-utensils  and  the  funnel  can  be 
packed  inside  the  stove  ;  and,  if  you  fear  it  may 
upset  on  the  march,  you  can  tie  the  handles  of 
the  stove  to  those  of  the  top  piece. 

A  stove  like  this  will  cost  about  ten  dollars  ; 
but  it  is  a  treasure  for  a  large  party  or  one  where 
there  are  ladies,  or  those  who  object  to  having 
their  eyes  filled  with  smoke.  The  coffee-pot  and 
tea-pot  for  this  stove  have  "  sunk  bottoms,"  and 
hence  will  boil  quicker  by  presenting  more  sur- 
face to  the  fire.  You  should  cover  the  bottom 
of  the  stove  with  four  inches  or  more  of  earth 
before  making  a  fire  in  it. 

To  prevent  the  pots  and  kettles  from  smutting 
every  thing  they  touch,  each  has  a  separate  bag 
in  which  it  is  packed  and  carried. 

The  funnel  was  in  five  joints,  each  eighteen 
inches  long,  and  made  upon  the  "  telescope " 
principle,  which  is  objectionable  on  account  of 
the  smut  and  the  jams  the  funnel  is  sure  to  re- 
ceive. In  practice  we  have  found  three  lengths 
sufficient,  but  have  had  two  elbows  made;  and 
with  these  we  can  use  the  stove  in  an  old  house, 
shed,  or  tent,  and  secure  good  draught. 

If  you  have  ladies  in  your  party,  or  those  to 
whom  the  rough  side  of  camping-out  offers  few 
attractions,  it  is  well  to  consider  this  stove  ques- 
tion. Either  of  these  here  described  must  be 
handled  and  transported  with  care. 


42  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

A  more  substantial  article  is  the  Dutch  oven, 
now  almost  unknown  in  many  of  the  States.  It 
is  simply  a  deep,  bailed  frying-pan  with  a  heavy 
cast-iron  cover  that  fits  on  and  overhangs  the 
top.  By  putting  the  oven  on  the  coals,  and  mak- 
ing a  fire  on  the  cover,  you  can  bake  in  it  very 
well.  Thousands  of  these  were  used  by  the  army 
during  the  war,  and  they  are  still  very  exten- 
sively used  in  the  South.  If  their  weight  is  no 
objection  to  your  plans,  I  should  advise  you  to 
have  a  Dutch  oven.  They  are  not  expensive  if 
you  can  find  one  to  buy.  If  you  cannot  find  one 
for  sale,  see  if  you  cannot  improvise  one  in  some 
way  by  getting  a  heavy  cover  for  a  deep  frying- 
pan.  It  would  be  well  to  try  such  an  improvisa- 
tion at  home  before  starting,  and  learn  if  it  will 
bake  or  burn,  before  taking  it  with  you. 

Another  substitute  for  a  stove  is  one  much 
used  nowadays  by  camping-parties,  and  is  suited 
for  permanent  camps.  It  is  the  top  of  an  old 
cooking-stove,  with  a  length  or  two  of  funnel. 
If  you  build  a  good  tight  fireplace  underneath, 
it  answers  pretty  well.  The  objection  to  it  is  the 
difficulty  of  making  and  keeping  the  fireplace 
tight,  and  it  smokes  badly  when  the  wind  is  not 
favorable  for  draught.  I  have  seen  a  great  many 
of  these  in  use,  but  never  knew  but  one  that  did 
well  in  all  weathers,  and  this  had  a  fireplace 
nicely  built  of  brick  and  mortar,  and  a  tight  iron 
door. 


S TO  FES  AND   COOKING-UTENSILS.         43 

Still  another  article  that  can  be  used  in  perma- 
nent camps,  or  if  you  have  a  wagon,  is  the  old- 
fashioned  "  Yankee  baker,"  now  almost  unknown. 
You  can  easily  find  a  tinman  who  has  seen  and 
can  make  one.  There  is  not,  however,  very  often 
an  occasion  for  baking  in  camp,  or  at  least  most 
people  prefer  to  fry,  boil,  or  broil. 

Camp-stoves  are  now  a  regular  article  of  trade ; 
many  of  them  are  good,  and  many  are  worthless. 
I  cannot  undertake  to  state  here  the  merits  or 
demerits  of  any  particular  kind ;  but  before  put- 
ting money  into  any  I  should  try  to  get  the  ad- 
vice of  some  practical  man,  and  not  buy  any  thing 
with  hinged  joints  or  complicated  mechanism. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

COOKING,  AND  THE  CARE  OF  FOOD. 

WHEN  living  in  the  open  air  the  appetite  is  so 
good,  and  the  pleasure  of  getting  your  own  meals 
is  so  great,  that,  whatever  may  be  cooked,  it  is 
excellent. 

You  will  need  a  frying-pan  and  a  coffee-pot, 
even  if  you  are  carrying  all  your  baggage  upon 


your  back.  You  can  do  a  great  deal  of  good 
cooking  with  these  two  utensils,  after  having  had 
experience  ;  and  it  is  experience,  rather  than 
recipes  and  instructions,  that  you  need.  Soldiers 
in  the  field  used  to  unsolder  their  tin  canteens, 


COOKING,   AND    THE   CARE  OF  FOOD.       45 

and  make  two  frying-pans  of  them  ;  and  I  have 
seen  a  deep  pressed-tin  plate  used  by  having  two 
loops  riveted  on  the  edges  opposite  each  other  to 
run  a  handle  through.  Food  fried  in  such  plates 
needs  careful  attention  and  a  low  fire ;  and,  as  the 
plates  themselves  are  somewhat  delicate,  they 
cannot  be  used  roughly. 

It  is  far  better  to  carry  a  real  frying-pan,  espe- 
cially if  there  are  three  or  more  in  your  party. 


If  you  have  transportation,  or  are  going  into  a 
permanent  camp,  do  not  think  of  the  tin  article. 

A  coffee-pot  with  a  bail  and  handle  is  better 
than  one  with  a  handle  only,  and  a  lip  is  better 
than  a  spout ;  since  handles  and  spouts  are  apt 
to  unsolder. 

Young  people  are  apt  to  put  their  pot  or  frying- 
pan  on  the  burning  wood,  and  it  soon  tips  over. 
Also  they  let  the  pot  boil  over,  and  presently  it 


46  HOW  TO  CAMP  OUT. 

unsolders  for  want  of  water.  Few  think  to  keep 
the  handle  so  that  it  can  be  touched  without  burn- 
ing or  smutting ;  and  hardly  any  young  person 
knows  that  pitchy  wood  will  give  a  bad  flavor  to 
any  thing  cooked  over  it  on  an  open  fire.  Live 
coals  are  rather  better,  therefore,  than  the  blaze 
of  a  new  fire. 

If  your  frying-pan  catches  fire  inside,  do  not 
get  frightened,  but  take  it  off  instantly,  and  blow 
out  the  fire,  or  smother  it  with  the  cover  or  a 
board  if  you  cannot  blow  it  out. 

You  will  do  well  to  consult  a  cook-book  if 
you  wish  for  variety  in  your  cooking ;  but  some 
things  not  found  in  cook-books  I  will  give  you 
here. 

Stale  bread,  pilot-bread,  dried  corn-cakes,  and 
crumbs,  soaked  a  few  minutes  in  water,  or  better 
still  in  milk,  and  fried,  are  all  quite  palatable. 

In  frying  bread,  or  any  thing  else,  have  the  fat 
boiling  hot  before  you  put  in  the  food  :  this  pre- 
vents it  from  soaking  fat. 

BAKED    BEANS,    BEEF,    AND    FISH. 

Lumbermen  bake  beans  deliciously  in  an  iron 
pot  that  has  a  cover  with  a  projecting  rim  to 
prevent  the  ashes  from  getting  in  the  pot.  The 
beans  are  first  parboiled  in  one  or  two  waters 
until  the  outside  skin  begins  to  crack.  They 
are  then  put  into  the  baking-pot,  and  salt  pork 


CARE  OF  FOOD.  47 

at  the  rate  of  a  pound  to  a  quart  and  a  half 
of  dry  beans  is  placed  just  under  the  surface  of 
the  beans.  The  rind  of  the  pork  should  be  gashed 
so  that  it  will  cut  easily  after  baking.  Two  or 
three  tablespoonfuls  of  molasses  are  put  in,  and  a 
little  salt,  unless  the  pork  is  considerably  lean. 
Water  enough  is  added  to  cover  the  beans. 

A  hole  three  feet  or  more  deep  is  dug  in  the 
ground,  and  heated  for  an  hour  by  a  good  hot  fire. 
The  coals  are  then  shovelled  out,  and  the  pot  put 
in  the  hole,  and  immediately  buried  by  throwing 
back  the  coals,  and  covering  all  with  dry  earth. 
In  this  condition  they  are  left  to  bake  all  night. 

On  the  same  principle  very  tough  beef  was 
cooked  in  the  army,  and  made  tender  and  juicy. 
Alternate  layers  of  beef,  salt  pork,  and  hard  bread 
were  put  in  the  pot,  covered  with  water,  and 
baked  all  night  in  a  hole  full  of  coals. 

Fish  may  also  be  cooked  in  the  same  way.  It 
is  not  advisable,  however,  for  parties  less  than  six 
in  number  to  trouble  themselves  to  cook  in  this 
manner. 

CARE   OF   FOOD. 

You  had  better  carry  butter  in  a  tight  tin  or 
wooden  box.  In  permanent  camp  you  can  sink 
it  in  strong  brine,  and  it  will  keep  some  weeks. 
Ordinary  butter  will  not  keep  sweet  a  long  time 
in  hot  weather  unless  in  a  cool  place  or  in  brine. 
Hence  it  is  better  to  replenish  your  stock  often, 
if  it  is  possible  for  you  to  do  so. 


48  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

You  perhaps  do  not  need  to  be  told  that 
when  camping  or  marching  it  is  more  difficult 
to  prevent  loss  of  food  from  accidents,  and  from 
want  of  care,  than  when  at  home.  It  is  almost 
daily  in  danger  from  rain,  fog,  or  dew,  cats  and 
dogs,  and  from  flies  or  insects.  If  it  is  neces- 
sary for  you  to  take  a  large  quantity  of  any 
thing,  instead  of  supplying  yourself  frequently, 
you  must  pay  particular  attention  to  packing,  so 
that  it  shall  neither  be  spoiled,  nor  spoil  any 
thing  else. 

You  cannot  keep  meats  and  fish  fresh  for 
many  hours  on  a  summer  day  ;  but  you  may 
preserve  either  over  night,  if  you  will  sprinkle 
a  little  salt  upon  it,  and  place  it  in  a  wet  bag 
of  thin  cloth  which  flies  cannot  go  through ; 
hang  the  bag  in  a  current  of  air,  and  out  of  the 
reach  of  animals. 

In  permanent  camp  it  is  well  to  sink  a  barrel 
in  the  earth  in  some  dry,  shaded  place  ;  it  will 
answer  for  a  cellar  in  which  to  keep  your  food 
cool.  Look  out  that  your  cellar  is  not  flooded 
in  a  heavy  shower,  and  that  ants  and  other  in- 
sects do  not  get  into  your  food. 

The  lumbermen's  way  of  carrying  salt  pork  is 
good.  They  take  a  clean  butter-tub  with  four  or 
five  gimlet-holes  bored  in  the  bottom  near  the 
chim'bs.  Then  they  pack  the  pork  in,  and  cover 
it  with  coarse  salt ;  the  holes  let  out  what  little 


CARE   OF  FOOD.  49 

brine  makes,  and  thus  they  have  a  dry  tub.  Upon 
the  pork  they  place  a  neatly  fitting  "  follower," 
with  a  cleat  or  knob  for  a  handle,  and  then  put 
in  such  other  eatables  as  they  choose.  Pork  can 
be  kept  sweet  for  a  few  weeks  in  this  way,  even 
in  the  warmest  weather ;  and  by  it  you  avoid  the 
continual  risk  of  upsetting  and  losing  the  brine. 
Before  you  start,  see  that  the  cover  of  the  firkin 
is  neither  too  tight  nor  too  loose,  so  that  wet  or 
dry  weather  may  not  affect  it  too  much. 

I  beg  you  to  clean  and  wash  your  dishes  as 
soon  as  you  have  done  using  them,  instead  of 
leaving  them  till  the  next  meal.  Remember  to 
take  dishcloths  and  towels,  unless  your  all  is  a 
frying-pan  and  coffee-pot  that  you  are  carrying 
upon  your  back,  when  leaves  and  grass  must  be 
made  to  do  dishcloth  duty. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


MARCHING.1 

IT  is  generally  advised  by  medical  men  to 
avoid  violent  exercise  immediately  after  eating. 
They  are  right ;  but  I  cannot  advise  you  to  rest 
long,  or  at  all,  after  breakfast,  but  rather  to  finish 
what  you  could  not  do  before  the  meal,  and  get 
off  at  once  while  it  is  early  and  cool.  Do  not 
hurry  or  work  hard  at  first  if  you  can  avoid  it. 

On  the  march,  rest  often  whether  you  feel  tired 
or  not ;  and,  when  resting,  see  that  you  do  rest. 

The  most  successful  marching  that  I  witnessed 
in  the  army  was  done  by  marching  an  hour,  and 
resting  ten  minutes.  You  need  not  adhere 
strictly  to  this  rule  :  still  I  would  advise  you  to 
halt  frequently  for  sight-seeing,  but  not  to  lie 
perfectly  still  more  than  five  or  ten  minutes,  as 
a  reaction  is  apt  to  set  in,  and  you  will  feel 
fatigued  upon  rising. 

Experience  has  shown  that  a  man  travelling 

1  Some  of  the  questions  which  properly  belong  unchr  this  heading 
are  discussed  elsewhere,  and  can  be  found  by  referring  to  the  index. 
5° 


MARCHING.  51 

with  a  light  load,  or  none,  will  walk  about  three 
miles  an  hour;  but  you  must  not  expect  from 
this  that  you  can  easily  walk  twelve  miles  in 
four  heats  of  three  miles  each  with  ten  minutes 
rest  between,  doing  it  all  in  four  and  a  half 
hours.  Although  it  is  by  no  means  difficult,  my 
advice  is  for  you  not  to  expect  to  walk  at  that 
rate,  even  through  a  country  that  you  do  not  care 
to  see.  You  may  get  so  used  to  walking  after  a 
while  that  these  long  and  rapid  walks  will  not 
weary  you;  but  in  general  you  require  more 
time,  and  should  take  it. 

Do  not  be  afraid  to  drink  good  water  as  often 
as  you  feel  thirsty ;  but  avoid  large  draughts  of 
cold  water  when  you  are  heated  or  are  perspir- 
ing, and  never  drink  enough  to  make  yourself 
logy.  You  are  apt  to  break  these  rules  on  the 
first  day  in  the  open  air,  and  after  eating  highly 
salted  food.  You  can  often  satisfy  your  thirst 
with  simply  rinsing  the  mouth.  You  may  have 
read  quite  different  advice *  from  this,  which  ap- 
plies to  those  who  travel  far  from  home,  and 
whose  daily  changes  bring  them  to  water  mate- 
rially different  from  that  of  the  day  before. 

1  This  advice  also  differs  from  that  generally  given  to  soldiers  ;  the 
army  rule  is  as  follows  :  "  Drink  well  in  the  morning  before  starting, 
and  nothing  till  the  halt ;  keep  the  mouth  shut ;  chew  a  straw  or  leaf, 
or  keep  the  mouth  covered  with  a  cloth :  all  these  prevent  suffering 
from  extreme  thirst.  Tying  a  handkerchief  well  wetted  with  salt 
water  around  the  neck,  allays  thirst  for  a  considerable  time."  —  CRAG- 
HILL'S  Pocket  Companion:  Van  Nostrand,  N.Y. 


52  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

It  is  well  to  have  a  lemon  in  the  haversack  or 
pocket :  a  drop  or  two  of  lemon-juice  is  a  great 
help  at  times  ;  but  there  is  really  nothing  which 
will  quench  the  thirst  that  comes  the  first  few 
days  of  living  in  the  open  air.  Until  you  be- 
come accustomed  to  the  change,  and  the  fever 
has  gone  down,  you  should  try  to  avoid  drinking 
in  a  way  that  may  prove  injurious.  Base-ball 
players  stir  a  little  oatmeal  in  the  water  they 
drink  while  playing,  and  it  is  said  they  receive  a 
healthy  stimulus  thereby. 

Bathing  is  not  recommended  while  upon  the 
march,  if  one  is  fatigued  or  has  much  farther  to 
go.  This  seems  to  be  good  counsel,  but  I  do 
advise  a  good  scrubbing  near  the  close  of  the 
day;  and  most  people  will  get  relief  by  fre- 
quently washing  the  face,  hands,  neck,  arms, 
and  breast,  when  dusty  or  heated,  although  this 
is  one  of  the  things  we  used  to  hear  cried  down 
in  the  army  as  hurtful.  It  probably  is  so  to 
some  people  :  if  it  hurts  you,  quit  it. 

FOOT-SORENESS    AND    CHAFING. 

After  you  have  marched  one  day  in  the  sun, 
your  face,  neck,  and  hands  will  be  sunburnt,  your 
feet  sore,  perhaps  blistered,  your  limbs  may  be 
chafed  ;  and  when  you  wake  up  on  the  morning 
of  the  second  day,  after  an  almost  sleepless 
night,  you  will  feel  as  if  you  had  been  "  dragged 
through  seven  cities." 


FOOT-SORENESS  AND   CHAFING.  53 

I  am  not  aware  that  there  is  any  preventive 
of  sunburn  for  skins  that  are  tender.  A  hat  is 
better  to  wear  than  a  cap,  but  you  will  burn 
under  either.  Oil  or  salve  on  the  exposed  parts, 
applied  before  marching,  will  prevent  some  of 
the  fire  ;  and  in  a  few  days,  if  you  keep  in  the 
open  air  all  the  time,  it  will  cease  to  be  annoy- 
ing. 

To  prevent  foot-soreness,  which  is  really  the 
greatest  bodily  trouble  you  will  have  to  contend 
with,  you  must  have  good  shoes  as  already  ad- 
vised. You  must  wash  your  feet  at  least  once 
a  day,  and  oftener  if  they  feel  the  need  of  it. 
The  great  preventive  of  foot-soreness  is  to  have 
the  feet,  toes,  and  ankles  covered  with  oil,  or, 
better  still,  salve  or  mutton-tallow ;  these  seem 
to  act  as  lubricators.  Soap  is  better  than  noth- 
ing. You  ask  if  these  do  not  soil  the  stockings. 
Most  certainly  they  do.  Hence  wash  your 
stockings  often,  or  the  insides  of  the  shoes  will 
become  foul.  Whenever  you  discover  the  slight- 
est tendency  of  the  feet  to  grow  sore  or  to  heat, 
put  on  oil,  salve,  or  soap,  immediately. 

People  differ  as  to  these  things.  To  some  a 
salve  acts  as  an  irritant :  to  others  soap  acts  in 
the  same  way.  You  must  know  before  starting 
—  your  mother  can  tell  you  if  you  don't  know 
yourself  —  how  oil,  glycerine,  salve,  and  soap  will 
affect  your  skin.  Remember,  the  main  thing  is 


54  HOW  TO  CAMP  OUT. 

to  keep  the  feet  clean  and  lubricated.  Wet  feet 
chafe  and  blister  more  quickly  than  dry. 

The  same  rule  applies  to  chafing  upon  any  part 
of  the  body.  Wash  and  anoint  as  tenderly  as 
possible.  If  you  have  chafed  in  any  part  on 
previous  marches,  anoint  it  before  you  begin 
this. 

When  the  soldiers  found  their  pantaloons  were 
chafing  them,  they  would  tie  their  handkerchiefs 
around  their  pantaloons,  over  the  place  affected, 
thus  preventing  friction,  and  stopping  the  evil ; 
but  this  is  not  advisable  for  a  permanent  pre- 
ventive. A  bandage  of  cotton  or  linen  over  the 
injured  part  will  serve  the  purpose  better. 

Another  habit  of  the  soldiers  was  that  of 
tucking  the  bottom  of  the  pantaloons  into  their 
stocking-legs  when  it  was  dusty  or  muddy,  or 
when  they  were  cold.  This  is  something  worth 
remembering.  You  will  hardly  walk  a  week 
without  having  occasion  to  try  it. 

Leather  leggins,  such  as  we  read  about  in 
connection  with  Alpine  travel,  are  recommended 
by  those  who  have  used  them  as  good  for  all 
sorts  of  pedestrianism.  They  have  not  come 
into  use  much  as  yet  in  America. 

The  second  day  is  usually  the  most  fatiguing. 
As  before  stated,  you  surfer  from  loss  of  sleep 
(for  few  people  can  sleep  much  the  first  night  in 
camp),  you  ache  from  unaccustomed  work,  smart 


FOOT-SORENESS  AND   CHAFING.  55 

from  sunburn,  and  perhaps  your  stomach  has 
gotten  out  of  order.  For  these  reasons,  when 
one  can  choose  his  time,  it  is  well  to  start  on 
Friday,  and  so  have  Sunday  come  as  a  day  of 
rest  and  healing  ;  but  this  is  not  at  all  a  neces- 
sity. If  you  do  not  try  to  do  too  much  the  first 
few  days,  it  is  likely  that  you  will  feel  better  on 
the  third  night  than  at  any  previous  time. 

I  have  just  said  that  your  stomach  is  liable  to 
become  disordered.  You  will  be  apt  to  have  a 
great  thirst  and  not  much  appetite  the  first  and 
second  days,  followed  by  costiveness,  lame  stom- 
ach, and  a  feeling  of  weakness  or  exhaustion. 
As  a  preventive,  eat  laxative  foods  on  those  days, 
—  figs  are  especially  good,  —  and  try  not  to  work 
too  hard.  You  should  lay  your  plans  so  as  not  to 
have  much  to  do  nor  far  to  go  at  first.  Do  not 
dose  with  medicines,  nor  take  alcoholic  stimu- 
lants. Physic  and  alcohol  may  give  a  tempo- 
rary relief,  but  they  will  leave  you  in  bad  con- 
dition. And  here  let  me  say  that  there  is  little 
or  no  need  of  spirits  in  your  party.  You  will 
find  coffee  or  tea  far  better  than  alcohol. 

Avoid  all  nonsensical  waste  of  strength,  and 
gymnastic  feats,  before  and  during  the  march  ; 
play  no  jokes  upon  your  comrades,  that  will  make 
their  day's  work  more  burdensome.  Young  peo- 
ple are  very  apt  to  forget  these  things. 

Let  each  comrade  finish  his  morning  nap.     A 


56  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

man  cannot  dispense  with  sleep,  and  it  is  cruel  to 
rob  a  friend  of  what  is  almost  his  life  and  health. 
But,  if  any  one  of  your  party  requires  more  sleep 
than  the  others,  he  ought  to  contrive  to  "  turn 
in  "  eailier,  and  so  rise  with  the  company. 

You  have  already  been  advised  to  take  all  the 
rest  you  can  at  the  halts.  Unsling  the  knap- 
sack, or  take  off  your  pack  (unless  you  lie  down 
upon  it),  and  make  yourself  as  comfortable  as 
you  can.  Avoid  sitting  in  a  draught  of  air,  or 
wherever  it  chills  you. 

If  you  feel  on  the  second  morning  as  if  you 
could  never  reach  your  journey's  end,  start  off 
easily,  and  you  will  limber  up  after  a  while. 

The  great  trouble  with  young  people  is,  that 
they  are  ashamed  to  own  their  fatigue,  and  will 
not  do  any  thing  that  looks  like  a  confession. 
But  these  rules  about  resting,  and  "  taking  it 
easy,"  are  the  same  in  principle  as  those  by  which 
a  horse  is  driven  on  a  long  journey  ;  and  it  seems 
reasonable  that  young  men  should  be  favored  as 
much  as  horses. 

Try  to  be  civil  and  gentlemanly  to  every  one. 
You  will  find  many  who  wish  to  make  money 
out  of  you,  especially  around  the  summer  hotels 
and  boarding-houses.  Avoid  them  if  you  can. 
Make  your  prices,  where  possible,  before  you 
engage. 

Do  not  be  saucy  to  the  farmers,  nor  treat  them 


MOUNTAIN  CLIMBING.  57 

as  "  country  greenhorns."  There  is  not  a  class 
of  people  in  the  country  of  more  importance  to 
you  in  your  travels  ;  and  you  are  in  honor  bound 
to  be  respectful  to  them.  Avoid  stealing  their 
apples,  or  disturbing  any  thing ;  and  when  you 
wish  to  camp  near  a  house,  or  on  cultivated  land, 
obtain  permission  from  the  owner,  and  do  not 
make  any  unreasonable  request,  such  as  asking 
to  camp  in  a  man's  front-yard,  or  to  make  a  fire 
in  dry  grass  or  within  a  hundred  yards  of  his 
buildings.  Do  not  ask  him  to  wait  on  you  with- 
out offering  to  pay  him.  Most  farmers  object  to 
having  people  sleep  on  their  hay-mows ;  and  all 
who  permit  it  will  insist  upon  the  rule,  "  No 
smoking  allowed  here."  When  you  break  camp 
in  the  morning,  be  sure  to  put  out  the  fires 
wherever  you  are ;  and,  if  you  have  camped  on 
cleared  land,  see  that  the  fences  and  gates  are 
as  you  found  them,  and  do  not  leave  a  mass  of 
rubbish  behind  for  the  farmer  to  clear  up. 

MOUNTAIN    CLIMBING. 

When  you  climb  a  mountain,  make  up  your 
mind  for  hard  work,  unless  there  is  a  carriage- 
road,  or  the  mountain  is  low  and  of  gentle  ascent. 
If  possible,  make  your  plans  so  that  you  will  not 
have  to  carry  much  up  and  down  the  steep  parts. 
It  is  best  to  camp  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  or 
a  part  way  up,  and,  leaving  the  most  of  your  bag- 


58  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

gage  there,  to  take  an  early  start  next  morning 
so  as  to  go  up  and  down  the  same  day.  This  is 
not  a  necessity,  however;  but  if  you  camp  on  the 
mountain-top  you  run  mere  risk  from  cold,  fog, 
(clouds),  and  showers,  and  you  need  a  warmer 
camp  and  more  clothing  than  down  below. 

Often  there  is  no  water  near  the  top :  there- 
fore, to  be  on  the  safe  side,  it  is  best  to  carry  a 
canteen.  After  wet  weather,  and  early  in  the 
summer,  you  can  often  squeeze  a  little  water  from 
the  moss  that  grows  on  mountain-tops. 

It  is  so  apt  to  be  chilly,  cloudy,  or  showery  at 
the  summit,  that  you  should  take  a  rubber  blanket 
and  some  other  article  of  clothing  to  put  on  if 
needed.  Although  a  man  may  sometimes  ascend 
a  mountain,  and  stay  on  the  top  for  hours,  in  his 
shirt-sleeves,  it  is  never  advisable  to  go  so  thinly 
clad  ;  oftener  there  is  need  of  an  overcoat,  while 
the  air  in  the  valley  is  uncomfortably  warm. 

Do  not  wear  the  extra  clothing  in  ascending, 
but  keep  it  to  put  on  when  you  need  it.  This 
rule  is  general  for  all  extra  clothing  :  you  will 
find  it  much  better  to  carry  than  to  wear  it. 

Remember  that  mountain-climbing  is  excess- 
ively fatiguing :  hence  go  slowly,  make  short 
rests  very  often,  eat  nothing  between  meals,  and 
drink  sparingly. 

There  are  few  mountains  that  it  is  advisable 
for  ladies  to  try  to  climb.  Where  there  is  a  road, 


MOUNTAIN  CLIMBING.  59 

or  the  way  is  open  and  not  too  steep,  they  may 
attempt  it ;  but  to  climb  over  loose  rocks  and 
through  scrub-spruce  for  miles,  is  too  difficult 
for  them. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE     CAMP. 

IT  pays  well  to  take  some  time  to  find  a  good 
spot  for  a  camp.  If  you  are  only  to  stop  one 
night,  it  matters  not  so  much ;  but  even  then  you 
should  camp  on  a  dry  spot  near  wood  and  water, 
and  where  your  horse,  if  you  have  one,  can  be 
well  cared  for.  Look  out  for  rotten  trees  that 
may  fall ;  see  that  a  sudden  rain  will  not  drown 
you  out ;  and  do  not  put  your  tent  near  the  road, 
as  it  frightens  horses. 

For  a  permanent  camp  a  good  prospect  is  very 
desirable  ;  yet  I  would  not  sacrifice  all  other 
things  to  this. 

If  you  have  to  carry  your  baggage  any  distance 
by  hand,  you^vill  find  it  convenient  to  use  two 
poles  (tent-poles  will  serve)  as  a  hand-barrow 
upon  which  to  pile  and  carry  your  stuff. 

A  floor  to  the  tent  is  a  luxury  in  which  some 

indulge  when  in  permanent  camp.     It  is  not  a 

necessity,  of  course ;   but,  in  a  tent  occupied  by 

ladies  or  children,  it  adds  much  to  their  comfort 

60 


THE   CAMP,  6 1 

to  have  a  few  boards,  an  old  door,  or  something 
of  that  sort,  to  step  on  when  dressing.  Boards 
or  stepping-stones  at  the  door  of  the  tent  partly 
prevent  your  bringing  mud  inside. 

If  you  are  on  a  hillside,  pitch  your  tent  so  that 
when  you  sleep,  if  you  are  to  sleep  on  the  ground, 
your  feet  will  be  lower  than  your  head  :  you  will 
roll  all  night,  and  perhaps  roll  out  of  the  tent,  if 
you  lie  across  the  line  running  down  hill. 

As  soon  as  you  have  pitched  your  tent,  stretch 
a  stout  line  from  the  front  pole  to  the  back  one, 
near  the  top,  upon  which  to  hang  your  clothes. 
You  can  tighten  this  line  by  pulling  inwards  the 
foot  of  one  pole  before  tying  the  line,  and  then 
lifting  it  back. 

Do  not  put  your  clothes  and  bedding  upon  the 
bare  ground  :  they  grow  damp  very  quickly.  See, 
too,  that  the  food  is  where  ants  will  not  get  at  it. 

Do  not  forget  to  take  two  or  three  candles, 
and  replenish  your  stock  if  you  burn  them  : 
they  sometimes  are  a  prime  necessity.  Also  do 
not  pack  them  where  you  cannot  easily  find  them 
in  the  dark.  In  a  permanent  camp  you  may  be 
tempted  to  use  a  lantern  with  oil,  and  perhaps 
you  will  like  it  better  than  candles  ;  but,  when 
moving  about,  the  lantern-lamp  and  oil-can  will 
give  you  trouble.  If  you  have  no  candlestick 
handy,  you  can  use  your  pocket-knife,  putting 
one  blade  in  the  bottom  or  side  of  the  candle, 


62  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

and  another  blade  into  the  ground  or  tent-pole. 
You  can  quickly  cut  a  candlestick  out  of  a  po- 
tato, or  can  drive  four  nails  in  a  block  of  wood. 

If  your  candles  get  crushed,  or  if  you  have  no 
candles,  but  have  grease  without  salt  in  it,  you 
can  easily  make  a  "  slut "  by  putting  the  grease 
in  a  small  shallow  pan  or  saucer  with  a  piece  of 
wicking  or  cotton  rag,  one  end  of  which  shall  be 
in  the  grease,  and  the  other,  which  you  light, 
held  out  of  it.  This  is  a  poor  substitute  for  day- 
light, and  I  advise  you  to  rise  and  retire  early 
(or  "turn  in"  and  "turn  out"  if  you  prefer)  : 
you  will  then  have  more  daylight  than  you  need. 

BEDS. 

Time  used  in  making  a  bed  is  well  spent. 
Never  let  yourself  be  persuaded  that  humps  and 
hollows  are  good  enough  for  a  tired  man.  If 
you  cut  boughs,  do  not  let  large  sticks  go  into 
the  bed :  only  put  in  the  smaller  twigs  and 
leaves.  Try  your  bed  before  you  "  turn  in,"  and 
see  if  it  is  comfortable.  In  a  permanent  camp 
you  ought  to  take  time  enough  to  keep  the  bed 
-soft ;  and  I  like  best  for  this  purpose  to  carry  a 
mattress  when  I  can,  or  to  take  a  sack  and  fill  it 
with  straw,  shavings,  boughs,  or  what  not.  This 
makes  a  much  better  bed,  and  can  be  taken  out 
daily  to  the  air  and  sun.  By  this  I  avoid  the 
clutter  there  always  is  inside  a  tent  filled  with 


BEDS.  63 

boughs  ;  and,  more  than  all,  the  ground  or  floor 
does  not  mould  in  damp  weather,  from  the  accu- 
mulation of  rubbish  on  it. 

It  is  better  to  sleep  off  the  ground  if  you  can, 
especially  if  you  are  rheumatic.  For  this  pur- 
pose build  some  sort  of  a  platform  ten  inches  or 
more  high,  that  will  do  for  a  seat  in  daytime. 
You  can  make  a  sort  of  spring  bottom  affair  if 
you  can  find  the  poles  for  it,  and  have  a  little 
ingenuity  and  patience  ;  or  you  can  more  quickly 
drive  four  large  stakes,  and  nail  a  framework  to 
them,  to  which  you  can  nail  boards  or  barrel- 
staves.1  All  this  kind  of  work  must  be  strong, 
or  you  can  have  no  rough-and-tumble  sport  on 
it.  We  used  to  see  in  the  army  sometimes,  a 
mattress  with  a  bottom  of  rubber  cloth,  and  a 
top  of  heavy  drilling,  with  rather  more  cotton 
quilted  2  between  them  than  is  put  into  a  thick 
comfcrter.  Such  a  mattress  is  a  fine  thing  to 
carry  in  a  wagon  when  you  are  on  the  march ; 
but  you  can  make  a  softer  bed  than  this  if  you 
are  in  a  permanent  camp. 

SLEEPING. 

"  Turn  in  "  early,  so  as  to  be  up  with  the  sun. 
You  may  be  tempted  to  sleep  in  your  clothes ;  but 
if  you  wish  to  know  what  luxury  is,  take  them 

1  Barrel-staves  will  not  do  for  a  double  bed. 

2  It  will  roll  up  easier  if  the  quilting  runs  from  side  to  side  only. 


64  HOW  TO  CAMP  OUT. 

off  as  you  do  at  home,  and  sleep  in  a  sheet,  having 
first  taken  a  bath,  or  at  least  washed  the  feet  and 
limbs.  Not  many  care  to  do  this,  particularly 
if  the  evening  air  is  chilly ;  but  it  is  a  comfort  of 
no  mean  order. 

If  you  are  short  of  bedclothes,  as  when  on  the 
march,  you  can  place  over  you  the  clothes  you 
take  off  (see  p.  19) ;  but  in  that  case  it  is  still 
more  necessary  to  have  a  good  bed  under- 
neath. 

You  will  always  do  well  to  cover  the  clothes 
you  have  taken  off,  or  they  will  be  quite  damp  in 
the  morning. 

See  that  you  have  plenty  of  air  to  breathe.  It  is 
not  best  to  have  a  draught  of  air  sweeping  through 
the  tent,  but  let  a  plenty  of  it  come  in  at  the  feet 
of  the  sleeper  or  top  of  the  tent. 

A  hammock  is  a  good  thing  to  have  in  a  per- 
manent camp,  but  do  not  try  to  swing  it  between 
two  tent-poles  :  it  needs  a  firmer  support. 

Stretch  a  clothes-line  somewhere  on  your 
camp-ground,  where  neither  you  nor  your  visit- 
ors will  run  into  it  in  the  dark. 

If  your  camp  is  where  many  visitors  will  come 
by  carriage,  you  will  find  that  it  will  pay  you  for 
your  trouble  to  provide  a  hitching-post  where  the 
horses  can  stand  safely.  Fastening  to  guy-lines 
and  tent-poles  is  dangerous. 


SINKS.  65 


SINKS. 

In  a  permanent  camp  you  must  be  careful  to 
deposit  all  refuse  from  the  kitchen  and  table  in 
a  hole  in  the  ground  :  otherwise  your  camp  will 
be  infested  with  flies,  and  the  air  will  become 
polluted.  These  sink-holes  may  be  small,  and 
dug  every  day ;  or  large,  and  partly  filled  every 
day  or  oftener  by  throwing  earth  over  the  de- 
posits. If  you  wish  for  health  and  comfort,  do 
not  surfer  a  place  to  exist  in  your  camp  that  will 
toll  flies  to  it.  The  sinks  should  be  some  dis- 
tance from  your  tents,  and  a  dry  spot  of  land  is 
better  than  a  wet  one.  Observe  the  same  rule 
in  regard  to  all  excrementitious  and  urinary 
matter.  On  the  march  you  can  hardly  do  better 
than  follow  the  Mosaic  law  (see  Deuteronomy 
xxiii.  12,  13). 

In  permanent  camp,  or  if  you  propose  to  stay 
anywhere  more  than  three  days,  the  crumbs  from 
the  table  and  the  kitchen  refuse  should  be  care- 
fully looked  after:  to  this  end  it  is  well  to  avoid 
eating  in  the  tents  where  you  live.  Swarms  of 
flies  will  be  attracted  by  a  very  little  food. 

A  spade  is  better,  all  things  considered,  than 
a  shovel,  either  in  permanent  camp  or  on  the 
march. 


66  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 


HOW   TO    KEEP   WARM. 

When  a  cold  and  wet  spell  of  weather  over- 
takes you,  you  will  inquire,  "  How  can  we  keep 
warm  ? "  If  you  are  where  wood  is  very  abun- 
dant, you  can  build  a  big  fire  ten  or  fifteen  feet 
from  the  tent,  and  the  heat  will  strike  through 
the  cloth.  This  is  the  poorest  way,  and  if  you 
have  only  shelter-tents  your  case  is  still  more 
forlorn.  But  keep  the  fire  a-going  :  you  can  make 
green  wood  burn  through  a  pelting  storm,  but 
you  must  have  a  quantity  of  it  —  say  six  or  eight 
large  logs  on  at  one  time.  You  must  look  out 
for  storms,  and  have  some  wood  cut  beforehand. 
If  you  have  a  stove  with  you,  a  little  ingenuity 
will  enable  you  to  set  it  up  inside  a  tent,  and  run 
the  funnel  through  the  door.  But,  unless  your 
funnel  is  quite  long,  you  will  have  to  improvise 
one  to  carry  the  smoke  away,  for  the  eddies 
around  the  tent  will  make  the  stove  smoke  occa- 
sionally beyond  all  endurance.  Since  you  will 
need  but  little  fire  to  keep  you  warm,  you  can 
use  a  funnel  made  of  boards,  barrel-staves,  old 
spout,  and  the  like.  Old  tin  cans,  boot-legs, 
birch-bark,  and  stout  paper  can  be  made  to  do 
service  as  elbows,  with  the  assistance  of  turf, 
grass-ropes,  and  large  leaves.  But  I  forewarn 
you  there  is  not  much  fun,  either  in  rigging  your 
stove  and  funnel,  or  in  sitting  by  it  and  waiting 


FIREPLACE.  67 

for  the  storm  to  blow  it  down.    Still  it  is  best  to 
be  busy. 

Another  way  to  keep  warm  is  to  dig  a  trench 
twelve  to  eighteen  inches  wide,  and  about  two 
feet  deep,  running  from  inside  to  the  outside  of 
the  tent.  The  inside  end  of  the  trench  should 
be  larger  and  deeper ;  here  you  build  your  fire. 
"V  ou  cover  the  trench  with  flat  rocks,  and  fill  up 
the  chinks  with  stones  and  turf  ;  boards  can  be 
used  after  you  have  gone  a  few  feet  from  the  fire- 
place. Over  the  outer  end,  build  some  kind  of  a 
chimney  of  stones,  boxes,  boards,  or  barrels.  The 
fireplace  should  not  be  near  enough  to  the  side  of 
the  tent  to  endanger  it ;  and,  the  taller  the  chim- 
ney is,  the  better  it  will  draw  if  you  have  made 
the  trench  of  good  width  and  air-tight.  If  you 
can  find  a  sheet-iron  covering  for  the  fireplace, 
you  will  be  fortunate  ;  for  the  main  difficulty  in 
this  heating-arrangement  is  to  give  it  draught 
enough  without  letting  out  smoke,  and  this  you 
cannot  easily  arrange  with  rocks.  In  digging 
your  trench  and  fireplace,  make  them  so  that  the 
rain  shall  not  flood  them. 

FIREPLACE. 

If  flat  rocks  and  mud  are  plenty,  you  can  per- 
haps build  a  fireplace  at  the  door  of  your  tent 
(outside,  of  course),  and  you  will  then  have  some- 
thing both  substantial  and  valuable.  Fold  one 


68  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

flap  of  the  door  as  far  back  as  you  can,  and  build 
one  side  of  the  fireplace  against  the  pole,1  and 
the  other  side  against,  or  nearly  over  to,  the  cor- 
ner of  the  tent.  Use  large  rocks  for  the  lower 
tiers,  and  try  to  have  all  three  walls  perpendicular 
and  smooth  inside.  When  up  about  three  feet, 
or  as  high  as  the  flap  of  the  tent  will  allow  with- 
out its  being  scorched,  put  on  a  large  log  of  green 
wood  for  a  mantle,  or  use  an  iron  bar  if  you  have 
one,  and  go  on  building  the  chimney.  Do  not 
narrow  it  much  :  the  chimney  should  be  as  high 
as  the  top  of  the  tent,  or  eddies  of  wind  will  blow 
down  occasionally,  and  smoke  you  out.  Barrels 
or  boxes  will  do  for  the  top,  or  you  can  make  a 
cob-work  of  split  sticks  well  daubed  with  mud. 
All  the  work  of  the  fire-place  and  chimney  must 
be  made  air-tight  by  filling  the  chinks  with  stones 
or  chips  and  mud.  When  done,  fold  and  confine 
the  flap  of  the  tent  against  the  stonework  and 
the  mantle ;  better  tie  than  nail,  as  iron  rusts  the 
cloth.  Do  not  cut  the  tent  either  for  this  or  any 
other  purpose  :  you  will  regret  it  if  you  do.  Keep 
water  handy  if  there  is  much  woodwork  ;  and  do 
not  leave  your  tent  for  a  long  time,  nor  go  to  sleep 
with  a  big  fire  blazing. 

If  you  have  to  bring  much  water  into  camp, 
remember  that  two  pails  carry  about  as  easily  as 

1  This  applies,  as  will  be  seen,  only  to  tents  having  two  uprights, 
as  the  wall,  "  A,"  and  shelter. 


HUNTERS'    CAMP.  69 

a  single  one,  provided  you  have  a  hoop  between 
to  keep  them  away  from  your  legs.  To  prevent 
the  water  from  splashing,  put  something  inside 
the  pail,  that  will  float,  nearly  as  large  as  the  top 
of  the  pail. 

HUNTERS'  CAMP. 

It  is  not  worth  while  to  say  much  about  those 
hunters'  camps  which  are  built  in  the  woods  of 


stout  poles,  and  covered  with  brush  or  the  bark 
of  trees  :  they  are  exceedingly  simple  in  theory, 
and  difficult  in  practice  unless  you  are  accustomed 
to  using  the  axe.  If  you  go  into  the  woods  with- 
out an  axeman,  you  had  better  rely  upon  your 
tents,  and  not  try  to  build  a  camp  ;  for  when  done, 
unless  there  is  much  labor  put  in  it,  it  is  not  so 


-jo  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

good  as  a  shelter-tent.  You  can,  however,  cut  a 
few  poles  for  rafters,  and  throw  the  shelter-tent 
instead  of  the  bark  or  brush  over  the  poles.  You 
have  a  much  larger  shelter  by  this  arrangement 
of  the  tent  than  when  it  is  pitched  in  the  regular 
way,  and  there  is  the  additional  advantage  of 
having  a  large  front  exposed  to  the  fire  which 


you  will  probably  build  ;  at  the  same  time  also 
the  under  side  of  the  roof  catches  and  reflects 
the  heat  downward.  When  you  put  up  your  tent 
in  this  way,  however,  you  must  look  out  not  to 
scorch  it,  and  to  take  especial  care  to  prevent 
sparks  from  burning  small  holes  in  it.  In  fact, 
whenever  you  have  a  roaring  fire  you  must  guard 
against  mischief  from  it. 


HUNTERS'    CAMP.  71 

Do  not  leave  your  clothes  or  blanket  hanging 
near  a  brisk  fire  to  dry,  without  confining  them 
so  that  sudden  gusts  of  wind  shall  not  take  them 
into  the  flame. 

You  may  some  time  have  occasion  to  make  a 
shelter  on  a  ledge  or  floor  where  you  cannot  drive 
a  pin  or  nail.  If  you  can  get  rails,  poles,  joists,  or 


boards,  you  can  make  a  frame  in  some  one  of  the 
ways  figured  here,  and  throw  your  tents  over  it. 
These  frames  will  be  found  useful  for  other 
purposes,  and  it  is  well  to  remember  how  to  make 
them. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

TENTS.  —  ARMY   SHELTER-TENT    (teilte 


THE  shelter-tent  used  by  the  Union  soldiers 
during  the  Rebellion  was  made  of  light  duck1 
about  31^  inches  wide.  A  tent  was  made  in  two 
pieces  both  precisely  alike,  and  each  of  them 
five  feet  long  and  five  feet  and  two  inches  wide  ; 
i.e.,  two  widths  of  duck.  One  of  these  pieces  or 
half-tents  was  given  to  every  soldier.  That  edge 
of  the  piece  which  was  the  bottom  of  the  tent 
was  faced  at  the  corners  with  a  piece  of  stouter 
duck  three  or  four  inches  square.  The  seam  in 
the  middle  of  the  piece  was  also  faced  at  the 
bottom,  and  eyelets  were  worked  at  these  three 
places,  through  which  stout  cords  or  ropes  could 
be  run  to  tie  this  side  of  the  tent  down  to  the 
tent-pin,  or  to  fasten  it  to  whatever  else  was 
handy.  Along  the  other  three  edges  of  each 
piece  of  tent,  at  intervals  of  about  eight  inches, 

1  You  cannot  find  this  sort  of  duck  in  the  market  now,  but  "  heavy 
drilling  "  29^  inches  wide  is  nearly  as  strong,  and  will  make  a  good 
tent. 


ARMY  SHELTER-TENT.  73 

were  button-holes  and  buttons  ;  the  holes  an 
inch,  and  the  buttons  four  inches,  from  the 
selvage  or  hem.1 

Two  men  could  button  their  pieces  at  the  tops, 
and  thus  make  a  tent  entirely  open  at  both  ends, 
five  feet  and  two  inches  long,  by  six  to  seven 
feet  wide  according  to  the  angle  of  the  roof.  A 
third  man  could  button  his  piece  across  one  of 
the  open  ends  so  as  to  close  it,  although  it  did 
not  make  a  very  neat  fit,  and  half  of  the  cloth 
was  not  used;  four  men  could  unite  their  two 
tents  by  buttoning  the  ends  together,  thus  doub- 
ling the  length  of  the  tent ;  and  a  fifth  man  could 
put  in  an  end-piece. 

Light  poles  made  in  two  pieces,  and  fastened 
together  with  ferrules  so  as  to  resemble  a  piece 
of  fishing-rod,  were  given  to  some  of  the  troops 
when  the  tents  were  first  introduced  into  the 
army ;  but,  nice  as  they  were  at  the  end  of  the 
march,  few  soldiers  would  carry  them,  nor  will 
you  many  days. 

%The  tents  were  also  pitched  by  throwing  them 
over  a  tightened  rope ;  but  it  was  easier  to  cut  a 
stiff  pole  than  to  carry  either  the  pole  or  rope. 

You  need  not  confine  yourself  exactly  to  the 
dimensions  of  the  army  shelter-tent,  but  for  a 

i  Tents  made  of  heavy  drilling  were  also  furnished  to  the  troops, 
the  dimensions  of  which  varied  a  trifle  from  those  here  given  :  they  had 
the  disadvantage  of  two  seams  instead  of  one. 


74  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

pedestrian  something  of  the  sort  is  necessary  if 
he  will  camp  out.  I  have  never  seen  a  "  shel- 
ter "  made  of  three  breadths  of  drilling  (seven 
feet  three  inches  long),  but  I  should  think  it 
would  be  a  good  thing  for  four  or  five  men 
to  take.1  And  I  should  recommend  that  they 
make  three-sided  end-pieces  instead  of  taking 
additional  half-tents  complete,  for  in  the  latter 
case  one-half  of  the  cloth  is  useless. 

Five  feet  is  long  enough  for  a  tent  made  on 
the  "  shelter  "  principle  ;  when  pitched  with  the 
roof  at  a  right  angle  it  is  3^  feet  high,  and  nearly 
seven  feet  wide  on  the  ground. 

Although  a  shelter-tent  is  a  poor  substitute  for 
a  house,  it  is  as  good  a  protection  as  you  can  well 
carry  if  you  propose  to  walk  any  distance.  It 
should  be  pitched  neatly,  or  it  will  leak.  In 

1  If  the  party  is  of  four,  or  even  five,  a  shelter-tent  made  of  three 
breadths  of  heavy  drilling  will  accommodate  all.  Sew  one  end-piece 
to  each  half-tent,  since  sewing  is  better  than  buttoning,  and  the  last  is 
not  necessary  when  your  party  will  always  camp  together.  Along  the 
loose  border  of  the  end-piece  work  the  button-holes,  and  sew  the  cor- 
responding buttons  upon  the  main  tent  an  inch  or  more  from  the  edge 
of  the  border.  Sew  on  facings  at  the  corners  and  seams  as  in  the  army 
shelter,  and  also  on  the  middle  of  the  bottom  of  the  end-pieces;  and 
put  loops  of  small  rope  or  a  foot  or  two  of  stout  cord  through  all  of 
these  facings,  for  the  tent-pins.  You  will  then  have  a  tent  with  the 
least  amount  of  labor  and  material  in  it.  The  top  edges,  like  those  of 
the  army  shelter,  are  to  have  buttons  and  button-holes  ;  the  tent  can  then 
be  taken  apart  into  two  pieces,  each  of  which  will  weigh  about  two 
pounds  and  a  quarter.  Nearly  all  of  the  work  can  be  done  en  a  sew- 
ing-machine ;  run  two  rows  of  stitclving  at  each  seam  as  near  the  selvage 
as  you  can. 


THE  A-TENT.  75 

heavy,  pelting  rains  a  fine  spray  will  come 
through  on  the  windward  side.  The  sides 
should  set  at  right  angles  to  each  other,  or  at  a 
sharper  angle  if  rain  is  expected. 

There  are  rubber  blankets  made  with  eyelets 
along  the  edges  so  that  two  can  be  tied  together 
to  make  a  tent ;  but  they  are  heavier,  more  expen- 
sive, and  not  much  if  any  better ;  and  you  will 
need  other  rubber  blankets  to  lie  upon. 

If  you  wish  for  a  larger  and  more  substantial 
covering  than  a  "  shelter,"  and  propose  to  do  the 
work  yourself,  you  will  do  well  to  have  a  sail- 
maker  or  a  tent-maker  cut  the  cloth,  and  show 
you  how  the  work  is  to  be  done.  If  you  cannot 
have  their  help,  you  must  at  least  have  the  as- 
sistance of  one  used  to  planning  and  cutting 
needle-work,  to  whom  the  following  hints  may 
not  be  lost.  We  will  suppose  heavy  drilling  29^ 
inches  wide  to  be  used  in  all  instances. 

THE    A-TEXT. 

To  make  an  A-tent,1  draw  upon  the  floor  a 
straight  line  seven  feet  long,  to  represent  the 
upright  pole  or  height  of  the  tent  ;  then  draw 
a  line  at  right  angles  to  and  across  the  end  of 
the  first  one,  to  represent  the  ground  or  bottom 
of  the  tent.  Complete  the  plan  by  finding 
where  the  corners  will  be  on  the  ground  line, 

1  Called  also  wedge-tent 


76  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

and  drawing  the  two  sides  (roof)  from  the  cor- 
ners l  to  the  top  of  the  pole-line.  This  triangle 
is  a  trifle  larger  than  the  front  and  back  of  the 
tent  will  be. 

The  cloth  should  be  cut  so  that  the  twilled 
side  shall  be  the  outside  of  the  tent,  as  it  sheds 
the  rain  better. 

Place  the  cloth  on  the  floor  against  the  ground- 
line,  and  tack  it  (to  hold  it  fast)  to  the  pole-line, 
which  it  should  overlap  f  of  an  inch  ;  then  cut 
by  the  roof-line.  Turn  the  cloth  over,  and  cut 
another  piece  exactly  like  the  first  ;  this  second 
piece  will  go  on  the  back  of  the  tent  Now 
place  the  cloth  against  the  ground-line  as  before, 
but  upon  the  other  side  of  the  pole,  and  tack  it 
to  the  floor  after  you  have  overlapped  the  selv- 
age of  the  piece  first  cut  f  of  an  inch.  Cut 
by  the  roof-line,  and  turn  and  cut  again  for  the 
back  of  the  tent. 

In  cutting  the  four  small  gores  for  the  cor- 
ners, you  can  get  all  the  cloth  from  one  piece, 
and  thus  save  waste,  by  turning  and  tearing  it 
in  two ;  these  gore-pieces  also  overlap  the 
longer  breadths  f  of  an  inch. 

The  three  breadths  that  make  the  sides  or 
roof  are  cut  all  alike  ;  their  length  is  found  by 

i  To  find  the  distance  of  (he  corners,  multiply  the  width  of  the 
cloth  (29^  inches)  by  3  (three  breadths),  and  subtract  2^  inches  (or 
three  overlapp'.ngs  of  J  inch  each,  as  will  be  explained). 


THE  A-TENT.  77 

measuring  the  plan  from  corner  to  corner  over 
the  top  ;  in  the  plan  now  under  consideration, 
the  distance  will  be  nearly  sixteen  feet.  When 
you  sew  them,  overlap  the  breadths  \  of  an  inch 
the  same  as  you  do  the  end-breadths. 

In  sewing  you  can  do  no  better  than  to  run, 
with  a  machine,  a  row  of  stitching  as  near  each 
selvage  as  possible  ;  you  will  thus  have  two 
rows  to  each  seam,  which  makes  it  strong 
enough.  Use  the  coarsest  cotton,  No.  10  or  12. 

The  sides  and  two  ends  are  made  separately  ; 
when  you  sew  them  together  care  must  be  taken, 
for  the  edges  of  the  ends  are  cut  cross-grained, 
and  will  stretch  very  much  more  than  the  cloth 
of  the  sides  (roof).  About  as  good  a  seam  as 
you  can  make,  in  sewing  together  the  sides  and 
ends,  is  to  place  the  two  edges  together,  and 
fold  them  outwards  (or  what  will  be  downwards 
when  the  tent  is  pitched)  twice,  a  quarter  of  an 
inch  each  time,  and  put  two  rows  of  stitching 
through  if  done  on  a  machine,  or  one  if  with 
sail-needle  and  twine.  This  folding  the  cloth 
six-ply,  besides  making  a  good  seam,  strength- 
ens the  tent  where  the  greatest  strain  comes. 
It  is  also  advisable  to  put  facings  in  the  two 
ends  of  the  top  of  the  tent,  to  prevent  the  poles 
from  pushing  through  and  chafing. 

The  bottom  of  the  tent  is  completed  next  by 
folding  upwards  and  inwards  two  inches  of  cloth 


78  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

to  make  what  is  called  a  "tabling,"  and  again 
folding  in  the  raw  edge  about  a  quarter  of  an 
inch,  as  is  usual  to  make  a  neat  job.  Some 
makers  enclose  a  marline  or  other  small  tarred 
rope  to  strengthen  the  foot  of  the  tent,  and  it 
is  well  to  do  so.  One  edge  of  what  is  called 
the  "  sod-cloth  "  is  folded  in  with  the  raw  edge, 
and  stitched  at  the  same  time.  This  cloth, 
which  is  six  to  eight  inches  wide,  runs  entirely 
around  the  bottom  of  the  tent,  excepting  the 
door-flap,  and  prevents  a  current  of  air  from 
sweeping  under  the  tent,  and  saves  the  bottom 
from  rotting ;  the  sod-cloth,  however,  will  rot  or 
wear  out  instead,  but  you  can  replace  it  much 
more  easily  than  you  can  repair  the  bottom  of 
the  tent ;  consequently  it  is  best  to  put  one  on. 

One  door  is  enough  in  an  A-tent ;  but,  if  you 
prefer  two,  be  sure  that  one  at  least  is  nicely 
fitted  and  well  provided  with  tapes  or  buttons, 
or  both  :  otherwise  you  will  have  a  cheerless 
tent  in  windy  and  rainy  weather.  The  door- 
flap  is  usually  made  of  a  strip  of  cloth  six  to 
nine  inches  wide,  sewed  to  the  selvage  of  the 
breadth  that  laps  inside  ;  the  top  of  it  is  sewed 
across  the  inside  of  the  other  breadth,  and 
reaches  to  the  corner  seam.  Tent-makers 
usually  determine  the  height  of  the  door  by 
having  the  top  of  the  flap  reach  from  selvage 
to  seam  as  just  described;  the  narrower  the  flap 


THE  A-TENT.  79 

is,  the  higher  the  door  will  be.  Some  make  the 
door-flap  considerably  wider  at  the  bottom  than 
at  the  top,  and  thus  provide  against  the  many 
annoyances  that  arise  from  one  too  narrow. 

The  loops  (or  "beckets"  as  they  are  called) 
that  fasten  to  the  tent-pins  are  put  in  one  at 
each  side  of  the  door  and  at  every  seam.  Some 
makers  work  an  eyelet  or  put  a  grommet  in  the 
seam  ;  but,  in  the  army-tents  which  are  made  of 
duck,  there  are  two  eyelets  worked,  one  on  each 
side  of  the  seam,  and  a  six-thread  manilla  rope 
is  run  through  and  held  in  by  knotting  the  ends. 

The  door  is  tied  together  by  two  double  rows 
of  stout  tapes l  sewed  on  at  intervals  of  about 
eighteen  inches  ;  one  inside  the  tent  ties  the 
door-flap  to  the  opposite  breadth,  and  a  second 
set  outside  pulls  together  the  two  selvages  of 
the  centre  breadths.  Do  not  slight  this  work : 
a  half-closed  door,  short  tapes,  and  a  door-flap 
that  is  slapping  all  the  time,  are  things  that  will 
annoy  you  beyond  endurance. 

The  upright  poles  of  a  tent  such  as  has  been 
described  should  be  an  inch  or  two  more  than 
seven  feet,  for  the  cloth  will  stretch.  If  you 
have  a  sod-cloth,  the  poles  should  be  longer  still.2 

1  What  is  known  by  shoemakers  as  "webbing"  is  good  for  this 
purpose,  or  you  can  double  together  and  sew  strips  of  sheeting  or 
drilling.  Cod-lines  and  small  ropes  are  objectionable,  as  they  are  not 
easily  untied  when  in  hard  knots. 

a  The  poles  for  army  A-tents  are  seven  feet  six  inches. 


8o  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 


THE    WALL-TENT. 

The  wall-tent  is  shaped  like  a  house:  the 
walls  or  sides,  which  are  perpendicular,  are  four 
feet  high.  A  continuous  piece  of  cloth  runs 
from  the  ground  to  the  eaves,  thence  on  toward 
the  ridge-pole,  and  down  the  other  side  to  the 
ground.  The  tent  is  made  on  the  same  general 
principles  as  the  one  last  described.  It  is  four 
breadths  square,  but  the  width  is  usually  dimin- 
ished about  one  foot  by  cutting  six  inches  from 
each  corner  breadth.  If  the  cloth  is  drilling  or 
light  duck,  you  can  overlap  the  centre  breadths 
a  foot,  and  thus  have  the  doors  ready-made. 

Draw  a  plan  upon  the  floor  as  in  the  other 
case  ;  the  pole  nine  feet  and  two  inches  high, 
the  corners  four  breadths  apart  less  the  over- 
lappings  and  the  narrowing ;  draw  the  wall  (in 
the  plan  only)  four  feet  and  two  inches  high. 
The  roof-line  runs  of  course  from  the  top  of 
the  pole  to  the  top  of  the  wall. 

Cut  the  cloth,  as  before,  so  as  to  have  the 
twilled  side  out.  Add  six  inches  to  the  distance 
measured  on  the  plan,  for  the  length  of  the  walls 
and  roof,  so  as  to  get  cloth  for  the  eaves. 

The  wall  is  to  be  four  feet  high ;  consequently, 
when  you  have  sewed  together  the  four  breadths 
that  make  the  roof  and  walls,  measure  four  feet 
3i  inches  from  the  ends  (bottoms),  double  the 


THE    WALL-TENT.  8 1 

cloth,  and  sew  two  rows  of  stitching  by  hand 
across  from  side  to  side,  ii  inches  from  the 
doubling  ;  this  makes  the  tabling  for  the  eaves, 
and  you  have  two  inches  left  for  the  bottom  tab- 
ling. Use  stout  twine  for  these  seams  at  the 
eaves,  and  take  only  three  to  four  stitches  to  the 
inch. 

Take  the  same  care  as  before  in  sewing  to- 
gether the  ends  and  sides  ;  the  larger  the  tent, 
the  more  this  difficulty  increases. 

The  sod-cloth  becomes  more  of  a  necessity 
as  we  increase  the  size  of  the  tent,  and  add 
to  the  difficulty  of  making  it  fit  snugly  to  the 
ground. 

Facings  should  be  put  in  where  the  ends  of 
the  poles  bear,  as  before  explained  ;  and  also  in 
the  four  upper  corners  of  the  wall,  to  prevent 
the  strain  of  the  corner  guy-lines  from  ripping 
apart  the  eaves  and  wall. 

Beckets  must  be  put  in  the  bottom  of  each 
seam  and  the  door,  the  same  as  in  the  A-tent, 
and  strong  tapes  sewed  to  the  door. 

Guy-lines  made-  of  six-thread  manilla  rope 
are  put  in  at  the  four  corners  of  the  eaves,  and 
at  every  seam  along  that  tabling,  making  five 
upon  each  side.  Work  an  eyelet,  or  put  a 
grommet,  in  the  doubled  cloth  of  the  seam  ;  knot 
the  end  of  the  guy-line  to  prevent  its  pulling 
through :  tying  the  rope  makes  too  bungling  a 


82  HOW  TO  CAMP  OUT. 

job,  and  splicing  it  is  too  much  work.  The  six 
guy-lines  in  the  body  of  the  tent  should  be 
about  nine  feet  long,  the  four  corner  ones  about 
a  foot  longer.  The  fiddles l  should  be  made  of 
some  firm  wood :  pine  and  spruce  will  not  last 
long  enough  to  pay  for  the  trouble  of  making 
them. 

The  poles  should  be  nine  feet  and  four  or  five 
inches  long.  If  they  are  too  long  at  first,  sink 
the  ends  in  the  ground,  and  do  not  cut  them  off 
until  the  tent  has  stretched  all  that  it  will. 

In  permanent  camp  a  "  fly "  over  the  tent 
is  almost  indispensable  for  protection  from  the 
heat  and  pelting  rains.  It  should  be  as  long  as 
the  roof  of  the  tent,  and  project  at  least  a  foot 
beyond  the  eaves.  The  guy-lines  should  be  a 
foot  or  more  longer  than  those  of  the  tent,  so 
that  the  pins  for  the  fly  may  be  driven  some  dis- 
tance outside  those  of  the  tent,  and  thus  lift  the 
fly  well  off  the  roof. 

CLOTH    FOR   TENTS. 

For  convenience  we  have  supposed  all  of  the 
tents  to  be  made  of  heavy  drilling.  Many  tent- 

1  This  name  is  given  to  the  piece  of  wood  that  tightens  the  guy-line. 
The  United  States  army  tent  has  a  fiddle  5^  inches  long,  if  wide,  and  i 
inch  thick ;  the  holes  are  3  J  inches  apart  from  centre  to  centre.  If  you 
make  a  fiddle  shorter,  or  of  thinner  stock,  it  does  not  hold  its  gripe  so 
well.  One  hole  should  be  just  large  enough  to  admit  the  rope,  and  the 
other  a  size  larger  so  that  the  rope  may  slide  through  easily. 


CLOTH  FOR    TENTS.  83 

makers  consider  this  material  sufficiently  strong, 
and  some  even  use  it  to  make  tents  larger  than 
the  United  States  army  wall-tent.  My  own  ex- 
perience leads  me  to  recommend  for  a  wall-tent 
a  heavier  cloth,  known  to  the  trade  as  "  eight- 
ounce  Raven's  "  duck,1  because  drilling  becomes 
so  thin  after  it  has  been  used  two  or  three  sea- 
sons that  a  high  wind  is  apt  to  tear  it. 

The  cost  of  the  cloth  is  about  the  same  as  the 
value  of  the  labor  of  making  the  tent ;  but  the  dif- 
ference between  the  cost  of  drilling  and  eight- 
ounce  duck  for  a  wall-tent  of  four  breadths  with 
a  fly  is  only  three  to  four  dollars,  and  the  duck 
tent  will  last  nearly  twice  as  long  as  the  one  of 
drilling.  For  these  reasons  it  seems  best  not  to 
put  your  labor  into  the  inferior  clofh. 

Before  you  use  the  tent,  or  expose  to  the 
weather  any  thing  made  of  cotton  cloth,  you 
should  wash  it  thoroughly  in  strong  soap-suds, 
and  then  soak  it  in  strong  brine  ;  this  takes  the 
sizing  and  oil  out  of  the  cloth,  and  if  repeated 
from  year  to  year  will  prevent  mildew,  which 
soon  spoils  the  cloth.  There  are  mixtures  that 
are  said  to  be  better  still,  but  a  tent-maker 

l  Seven-ounce  duck  is  made,  but  it  is  not  much  heavier  than  drill- 
ing, and  since  it  is  little  used  it  is  not  easily  found  for  sale.  United 
States  army  wall-tents  are  made  from  a  -superior  quality  of  ten-ounce 
duck,  but  they  are  much  stouter  than  is  necessary  for  summer  camping. 
There  are  also  "  sail-ducks,"  known  as  "  No.  8,"  "  No.  9,"  &c.,  which 
are  very  much  too  heavy  for  tents. 


84  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

assures  me  that  the  yearly  washing  is  better 
than  any  thing  applied  only  once.  Some  fisher-'X. 
men  preserve  their  sails  by  soaking  them  in  a 
solution  of  lime  and  water  considerably  thinner 
than  whitewash.  Others  soak  them  in  a  tanner's 
vat;  but  the  leather-like  color  imparted  is  not 
pleasing  to  the  eye.  Weak  lime-water  they  say 
does  not  injure  cotton;  but  it  ruins  rope  and 
leather,  and  some  complain  that  it  rots  the 
thread. 

It  will  save  strain  upon  any  tent,  to  stay  it  in 
windy  weather  with  ropes  running  from  the  iron 
pins  of  the  upright  poles  (which  should  project 
through  the  ridgepole  and  top  of  the  tent)  to 
the  ground  in  front  and  rear  of  the  tent.  A  still 
better  way  is  to  run  four  ropes  from  the  top  — 
two  from  each  pole-pin  —  down  to  the  ground 
near  the  tent-pins  of  the  four  corner  guy-lines. 
The  two  stays  from  the  rear  pole  should  run 
toward  the  front  of  the  tent ;  and  the  two  front 
stays  toward  the  rear,  crossing  the  other  two. 
The  tent  is  then  stayed  against  a  wind  from  any 
quarter,  and  the  stays  and  guy-lines  are  all  to- 
gether on  the  sides  of  the  tent. 

Loosen  the  stays  and  guy-lines  a  little  at  night 
or  when  rain  is  approaching,  so  as  to  prevent 
them  from  straining  the  tent  by  shrinking. 

Around  the  bottom  of  any  tent  you  should 
dig  a  small  trench  to  catch  and  convey  away  the 


HOW  TO  PITCH  A    WALL-TENT  QUICKLY.  85 

water  when  it  rains ;  and  I  caution  you  against 
the  error  which  even  old  campers  sometimes 
make,  —  do  not  try  to  have  the  water  run  up  hill. 

HOW    TO    PITCH    A    WALL-TENT    QUICKLY. 

After  you  have  once  pitched  the  tent,  and 
have  put  the  poles  and  pins  in  their  exact  places, 
note  the  distance  from  one  of  the  upright  poles 
to  the  pin  holding  one  of  the  nearest  corner 
guy-lines,  and  then  mark  one  of  the  poles  in 
such  a  way  that  you  can  tell  by  it  what  that  dis- 
tance is.  When  you  next  wish  to  pitch  the  tent, 
drive  two  small  pins  in  the  ground  where  the 
two  upright  poles  are  to  rest,  —  the  ridgepole 
will  tell  you  how  far  apart  they  must  be,  —  then, 
by  measuring  with  your  marked  pole,  you  can 
drive  the  four  pins  for  the  corner  guys  in  their 
proper  places. 

Next  spread  the  tent  on  the  ground,  and  put 
the  ridgepole  in  its  place  in  the  top  of  the  tent, 
and  the  two  upright  poles  in  their  places.  Then 
raise  the  tent.  It  will  take  two  persons,  or,  if  the 
tent  is  large,  four  or  more,  having  first  moved 
it  bodily,  to  bring  the  feet  of  the  upright  poles 
to  touch  the  two  small  pins  that  you  drove  at 
the  beginning.  You  can  now  catch  and  tighten 
the  corner  guy-lines  on  the  four  pins  previously 
driven.  In  driving  the  other  pins,  it  looks  well 
to  have  them  on  a  line,  if  possible ;  also  try  to 


86  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

have  the  wall  of  the  tent  set  square  :  to  do  this 
you  must  tie  the  door  just  right  before  you 
tighten  a  guy-line. 

You  will  find  this  way  of  pitching  a  tent  con- 
venient when  a  wind  is  blowing,  or  when  your 
assistant  is  not  a  strong  person.  If  the  wind  is 
very  high,  spread  your  tent  to  windward,  and 
catch  the  windward  guy-lines  before  raising  the 
tent.  You  will  thus  avoid  having  it  blown  over. 

TENT-POLES. 

As  tent-poles  are  not  expensive,  you  may  find 
it  convenient  to  have  two  sets  for  each  tent ; 
one  stout  set  for  common  use,  and  a  lighter  set 
to  take  when  transportation  is  limited.  Sound 
spruce,  free  from  large  knots  and  tolerably 
straight-grained,  makes  good  poles ;  pine  an- 
swers as  well,  but  is  more  expensive. 

The  upright  poles  of  a  stout  set  for  a  wall-tent 
of  the  United  States  Army  pattern  should  be 
round  or  eight-sided,  and  about  two  inches  in 
diameter.1  If  you  prefer  to  have  them  square, 
round  off  the  edges,  or  they  will  be  badly  bruised 
upon  handling.  Drive  a  stout  iron  pin2  seven  or 
eight  inches  long  into  the  centre  of  the  top  until 

1  The  length  of  tent-poles,  as  has  been  previously  stated,  depends 
upon  the  size  of  the  tent. 

2  What  are  known  as  "bolt-ends"  can  be  bought  at  the  hardware 
stores  for  this  purpose. 


TENT-PINS.  87 

it  projects  only  about  three  and  a  half  or  four 
inches,  or  enough  to  go  through  the  ridgepole 
and  an  inch  beyond.  It  will  be  necessary  to  bore 
a  hole  in  the  pole  before  driving  in  the  pin,  to 
prevent  splitting.  A  ferrule  is  also  serviceable 
on  this  end  of  the  pole. 

The  ridgepole  should  be  well  rounded  on  the 
edges,  and  be  about  two  and  a  half  inches  wide 
and  two  inches  thick.  If  made  of  stuff  thinner 
than  an  inch  and  a  half,  it  should  be  wider  in  the 
middle  than  above  stated,  or  the  pole  will  sag. 
Bore  the  holes  to  receive  the  pins  of  the  uprights 
with  an  auger  a  size  larger  than  the  pins,  so  that 
they  may  go  in  and  out  easily :  these  holes  should 
be  an  inch  and  a  half  from  the  ends.  Ferrules 
or  broad  bands  are  desirable  on  the  ends  of  the 
ridgepole ;  but  if  you  cannot  afford  these  you  may 
perhaps  be  able  to  put  a  rivet  or  two  through  the 
pole  between  the  ends  and  the  holes,  or,  if  not 
rivets,  then  screws,  which  are  better  than  nothing 
to  prevent  the  pin  of  the  upright  from  splitting 
the  ridge-pole. 

TENT-PINS. 

Tent-pins  should  be  made  of  sound  hard 
wood ;  old  wheel-spokes  are  excellent.  Make 
them  pointed  at  the  bottom,  so  that  they  will 
drive  easily  ;  and  notch  them  about  two  inches 
from  the  top,  so  that  they  will  hold  the  rope. 
Cut  away  the  wood  from  just  above  the  notch 


88  HOW  TO  CAMP  OUT. 

towards  the  back  of  the  head ;  this  will  prevent 
the  notch  of  the  pin  from  splitting  off  when 
it  is  driven.  It  is  well  to  have  pins  differ 
in  length  and  size  :  those  for  the  corners 
and  the  stays  should  be  the  largest,  say 
fifteen  to  eighteen  inches  long  ;  and  those 
for  the  wall  and  door  may  be  eight  or  ten 
inches.  But  pins  of  these  sizes  are  apt 
to  pull  out  in  a  heavy  storm  ;  and  so 
when  you  are  to  camp  in  one  spot  for  some 
time,  or  when  you  see  a  storm  brewing, 
it  is  well  to  make  pins  very  stout,  and  two  feet 
or  more  long,  for  the  stays  and  four  corner  guy- 
lines,  out  of  such  stuff  as  you  find  at  hand. 

Loosen  the  pins  by  striking  them  on  all  four 
sides  before  you  try  to  pull  them  up.  A  spade 
is  a  fine  thing  to  use  to  pry  out  a  pin  that  is  deep 
in  the  ground,  and  a  wooden  mallet  is  better  than 
an  axe  or  hatchet  to  drive  them  in  with  ;  but,  un- 
less you  have  a  large  number  of  pins  to  drive,  it 
will  hardly  pay  you  to  get  a  mallet  especially  for 
this  business. 

Make  a  stout  canvas  bag  to  hold  the  tent-pins ; 
and  do  not  fold  them  loose  with  the  tent,  as  it 
soils  and  wears  out  the  cloth. 

BEST    SIZE    OF    TENTS. 

The  majority  of  people  who  go  into  permanent 
camp  prefer  tents  considerably  larger  than  the 


BEST  SIZE   OF  TENTS.  89 

army  wall-tent ;  but,  unless  your  camp  is  well 
sheltered  from  the  wind,  you  will  have  constant 
and  serious  troubles  during  every  gale  and  thun- 
der-storm, if  you  are  in  a  large  or  high  tent.  A 
large  tent  is  certainly  more  comfortable  in  fine 
weather;  but  you  can  make  a  small  one  suffi- 
ciently cheerful,  and  have  a  sense  of  security  in 
it  that  you  cannot  feel  in  one  larger.  But,  if 
you  will  have  a  large  tent,  make  it  of  something 
heavier  than  drilling. 

If  you  have  two  tents  of  the  same  height,  you 
can  connect  the  tops  with  a  pole,  and  throw  a 
fly,  blanket,  or  sheet  over  it  on  pleasant  days. 

Do  not  pack  away  a  tent  when  it  is  damp  if 
you  can  possibly  avoid  it,  as  it  will  mildew  and 
decay  in  a  few  days  of  warm  weather.  If  you 
are  compelled  to  pack  it  when  very  damp,  you 
can  prevent  decay  by  salting  it  liberally  inside 
and  out. 

Before  you  put  away  your  tent  for  the  season 
be  sure  that  it  is  perfectly  dry,  and  that  the  dead 
flies  and  grasshoppers  are  swept  out  of  the  in- 
side. You  should  have  a  stout  bag  to  keep  it 
in,  and  to  prevent  its  being  chafed  and  soiled 
when  it  is  handled  and  carried.  You  will  find  a 
hundred  good  uses  for  the  bag  in  camp. 


CHAPTER  X. 

MISCELLANEOUS. GENERAL   ADVICE. 

IF  you  travel  horseback,  singly  or  in  parties, 
a  previous  experience  in  riding  and  in  the  care 
of  your  animal  are  necessary  for  pleasure. 
What  is  said  about  overloading  applies  here  : 
you  must  go  light;  let  your  saddlebags  be 
small,  and  packed  so  as  not  to  chafe  the  horse. 
If  you  have  the  choice  of  a  saddle,  take  a 
"  McClellan  "  or  a  similar  one,  so  that  you  can 
easily  strap  on  your  blankets  and  bags.  If  you 
have  time  before  starting,  try  to  teach  your 
horse,  what  so  few  horses  in  the  Northern 
States  know,  to  be  guided  by  the  pressure  of 
reins  against  the  neck  instead  of  a  pull  at  the 
bit. 

BOATING. 

I  do  not  propose  to  say  much  about  boating, 
as  the  subject  can  hardly  have  justice  done  to  it 
in  a  book  of  this  sort.  Parties  of  young  men 
spend  their  summer  vacation  every  year  in 
camping  and  boating.  It  is  a  most  delightful 
90 


RECKONING  LOST.  91 

way, —  superior  in  many  respects  to  any  other, 
—  but  it  requires  both  experience  and  caution, 
neither  of  which  is  usually  found  in  young 
men.  So  I  hope  that,  if  you  will  go  in  a  boat, 
you  may  be  an  exception  to  the  general  rule, 
and  will,  for  your  parents'  and  friends'  sake,  take 
a  small  boat  without  ballast  rather  than  a  large 
one  ballasted  so  heavily  that  it  will  sink  when  it 
fills. 

When  you  belay  the  sheets  of  your  sail,  make 
a  knot  that  can  be  untied  by  a  single  pull  at  the 
loose  end :  any  boatman  will  show  you  how  to 
do  this.  Never  make  fast  the  sheets  in  any  other 
way.  Hold  the  sheets  in  your  hands  if  the  wind 
is  at  all  squally  or  strong.  Do  not  venture  out 
in  a  heavy  wind.  Stow  your  baggage  snugly 
before  you  start :  tubs  made  by  sawing  a  flour- 
barrel  in  two  are  excellent  to  throw  loose  stuff 
into.  Remember  to  be  careful ;  keep  your  eyes 
open,  and  know  what  you  are  going  to  do  before 
you  try  it.  The  saying  of  an  old  sea-captain 
comes  to  me  here  :  "  I  would  rather  sail  a  ship 
around  the  world,  than  to  go  down  the  bay  in  a 
boat  sailed  by  a  boy." 

RECKONING   LOST. 

It  often  happens  in  travelling,  that  the  sun 
rises  in  what  appears  the  north,  west,  or  south, 
and  we  seem  to  be  moving  in  the  wrong  direc- 


92  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

tion,  so  that  when  we  return  home  -our  remem- 
brance of  the  journey  is  confused.  Perhaps  a 
few  hints  on  this  subject  may  help  the  reader. 
Supposing  your  day's  journey  ends  at  Blank- 
town,  where  you  find  your  compass-points  appar- 
ently reversed.  It  then  becomes  natural  for  you 
to  make  matters  worse  by  trying  to  lay  out  in 
your  mind  a  new  map,  with  Blanktown  for  the 
"  hub,"  and  east  in  the  west,  and  so  on.  You 
can  often  prevent  these  mishaps,  and  can  always 
make  them  less  annoying,  by  studying  your  map 
well  both  before  and  during  your  journey;  and 
by  keeping  in  your  mind  continually,  with  all 
the  vividness  you  can,  what  you  are  really  doing. 
As  far  as  Blanktown  is  concerned,  you  will  have 
two  impressions,  just  as  we  all  have  two  impres- 
sions with  regard  to  the  revolution  of  the  earth 
on  its  axis :  apparently  the  sun  rises,  goes  over 
and  down  ;  but  in  our  minds  we  can  see  the  sun 
standing  still,  and  the  earth  turning  from  west 
to  east. 

Upon  leaving  Blanktown  you  are  likely  to 
carry  the  error  along  with  you,  and  to  find  your- 
self moving  in  what  appears  to  be  the  wrong 
way.  Keep  in  mind  with  all  the  vividness  pos- 
sible, the  picture  of  what  you  are  really  doing, 
and  keep  out  of  mind  as  much  as  you  can  the 
ugly  appearance  of  going  the  wrong  way.  Every 
important  change  you  make,  be  sure  to  "  see  it " 


LADIES  AS  PEDESTRIANS.  93 

in  the  mind's  eye,  and  let  the  natural  eye  be 
blind  to  all  that  is  deceiving.  After  a  while 
things  will  grow  real,  and  you  must  try  to  keep 
them  so.  The  more  perfectly  you  know  the 
route  and  all  its  details,  the  less  you  will  be 
troubled  in  this  way. 

If  you  are  travelling  in  the  cars,  and  if  you 
have  a  strong  power  of  imagination,  you  can 
very  easily  right  errors  of  this  kind  by  learning 
from  the  map  exactly  what  you  are  doing,  and 
then  by  sitting  next  to  the  window,  shut  your 
eyes  as  you  go  around  a  curve  that  tends  to 
aggravate  the  difficulty,  and  hold  fast  what  you 
get  on  curves  that  help  you.  If  you  sit  on  the 
left  side  of  the  car,  and  look  ahead,  the  cars 
seem  to  sweep  continually  a  little  to  the 
right,  and  vice  versa,  when  really  moving 
straight  ahead,  —  provided  your  imagination  is 
good. 

When  you  are  travelling  on  an  unknown  road, 
you  should  always  inquire  all  about  it,  to  avoid 
taking  the  wrong  one,  which  you  are  likely  to  do, 
even  if  you  have  a  good  map  with  you. 

LADIES    AS    PEDESTRIANS. 

I  have  once  or  twice  alluded  to  ladies  walking 
and  camping.  It  is  thoroughly  practicable  for 
them  to  do  so.  They  must  have  a  wagon,  and 
do  none  of  the  heavy  work  ;  their  gowns  must 


94  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

not  reach  quite  to  the  ground,  and  all  of  their 
clothing  must  be  loose  and  easy.1  Of  course 
there  must  be  gentlemen  in  the  party  ;  and  it 
may  save  annoyance  to  have  at  least  one  of  the 
ladies  well-nigh  "middle-aged."  Ladies  must 
be  cared  for  more  tenderly  than  men.  If  they 
are  not  well,  the  wagon  should  go  back  for  them 
at  the  end  of  the  day's  march  ;  shelter-tents  are 
not  to  be  recommended  for  them,  nor  are  two 
blankets  sufficient  bedclothing.  They  ought  not 
to  be  compelled  to  go  any  definite  distance,  but 
after  having  made  their  day's  walk  let  the  tents 
be  pitched.  Rainy  weather  is  particularly  un- 
pleasant to  ladies  in  tents;  deserted  houses, 
schoolhouses,  saw-mills,  or  barns  should  be 
sought  for  them  when  a  storm  is  brewing. 

LADIES    AND    CHILDREN    IN    CAMP. 

In  a  permanent  camp,  however,  ladies,  and 
children  as  well,  can  make  themselves  thorough- 
ly at  home.2  They  ought  not  to  "  rough  it  "  so 

1  A  flannel  dress,  the  skirt  coming  to  the  top  of  the  boots,  and  hav- 
ing a  blouse  waist,  will  be  found  most  comfortable. 

2  It  is  no  novelty  for  women  and  children  to  camp  out:  we  see 
them  every  summer  at  the  seaside  and  on  the  blueberry-plains.     A 
great  many  families  besides  live  in  rude  cabins,  which  are  preferable 
on  many  accounts,  but  are  expensive.     Sickness  sometimes  results,  but 
usually  all  are  much  benefited.     I  know  a  family  that  numbered  with 
its  guests  nine  ladies,  five  children  ("one  at  the  breast"),  and  the 
paterfamilias,  which  camped  several  weeks  through  some  of  the  best 
snd  some  of  the  worst  cf  weather.     Ths  whooping-cough  broke  out 


LADIES  AND   CHILDREN  IN  CAMP.        95 

much  as  young  men  expect  to :  consequently 
they  should  be  better  protected  from  the  wet 
and  cold. 

I  have  seen  a  man  with  his  wife  and  two  chil- 
dren enjoy  themselves  through  a  week  of  rainy 
weather  in  an  A-tent ;  but  there  are  not  many 
such  happy  families,  and  it  is  not  advisable  to 
camp  with  such  limited  accommodations. 

Almost  all  women  will  find  it  trying  to  their 
backs  to  be  kept  all  day  in  an  A-tent.  If  you 
have  no  other  kind,  you  should  build  some  sort 
of  a  wall,  and  pitch  the  tent  on  top  of  it.  It  is 
not  a  difficult  or  expensive  task  to  put  guy-lines 
and  a  wall  of  drilling  on  an  A-tent,  and  make 
new  poles,  or  pitch  the  old  ones  upon  posts.  In 
either  case  you  should  stay  the  tent  with  lines 
running  from  the  top  to  the  ground. 

It  has  already  been  advised  that  women  should 
have  a  stove ;  in  general,  they  ought  not  to  de- 
part so  far  from  home  ways  as  men  do. 

Rubber  boots  are  almost  a  necessity  for  wom- 
en and  children  during  rainy  weather  and  while 
the  clew  is  upon  the  grass. 

the  second  or  third  day ;  shortly  after,  the  tent  of  the  mother  and 
children  blew  down  in  the  night,  and  turned  them  all  out  into  the  pelt- 
ing rain  in  their  night-clothes.  Excepting  the  misery  of  that  night 
and  day,  nothing  serious  came  of  it ;  and  in  the  fall  all  returned  home 
better  every  way  for  having  spent  their  summer  in  camp. 


96  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

SUMMER-HOUSES,    SHEDS,    AND    BRUSH    SCREENS. 

There  is  little  to  be  said  of  the  summer-houses 
built  at  the  seaside  near  our  large  cities,  since 
that  is  rather  a  matter  of  carpentry ;  nor  of 
portable  houses  ;  nor  of  lattice-work  with  painted 
paper ;  nor  even  of  a  "  schbang  "  such  as  I  have 
often  built  of  old  doors,  shutters,  outer  windows, 
and  tarred  paper :  any  one  who  is  ingenious  can 
knock  together  all  the  shelter  his  needs  require 
or  means  allow.  But,  where  you  are  camping  for 
a  week  or  more,  it  pays  you  well  to  use  all  you 
have  in  making  yourself  comfortable.  A  bush 
house,  a  canopy  under  which  to  eat,  and  some- 
thing better  than  plain  "  out-of-doors  "  to  cook  in, 
are  among  the  first  things  to  attend  to. 

If  you  wish  to  plant  firmly  a  tree  that  you 
have  cut  down,  you  may  perhaps  be  able  to  drive 
a  stake  larger  than  the  trunk  of  the  tree  ;  then 
loosen  the  stake  by  hitting  it  on  the  sides,  and 
pull  it  out.  You  can  do  this  when  you  have  no 
shovel,  or  when  the  soil  is  too  hard  to  dig. 
Small  stakes  wedged  down  the  hole  after  putting 
in  the  tree  will  make  it  firm. 

ETIQUETTE. 

Some  things  considered  essential  at  the  home 
table  have  fallen  into  disuse  in  camp.  It  is  par- 
donable, and  perhaps  best,  to  bring  on  whatever 


ETIQUETTE.  97 

you  have  cooked  in  the  dish  that  it  is  cooked  in, 
so  as  to  prevent  its  cooling  off. 

You  will  also  be  allowed  to  help  yourself  first 
to  whatever  is  nearest  you,  before  passing  it  to 
another ;  for  passing  things  around  in  camp  is 
risky,  and  should  be  avoided  as  much  as  possi- 
ble for  that  reason. 

Eat  with  your  hats  on,  as  it  is  more  comfort- 
able, and  the  wind  is  not  so  apt  to  blow  your 
stray  hairs  into  the  next  man's  dish. 

If  you  have  no  fork,  do  not  mind  eating  with 
your  knife  and  fingers.  But,  however  much  lib- 
erty you  take,  do  not  be  rude,  coarse,  or  uncivil : 
these  bad  habits  grow  rapidly  in  camp  if  you  en- 
courage them,  and  are  broken  off  with  difficulty 
on  return. 

If  there  is  no  separate  knife  for  the  butter, 
cheese,  and  meat,  nor  spoon  for  the  gravy  and 
soup,  you  can  use  your  own  by  first  wiping  the 
knife  or  spoon  upon  a  piece  of  bread. 

Be  social  and  agreeable  to  all  fellow-travellers 
you  meet.  It  is  a  received  rule  now,  I  believe, 
that  you  are  under  no  obligations  to  consider 
travelling-acquaintances  as  permanent :  so  you 
are  in  duty  bound  to  be  friendly  to  all  thrown  in 
your  way.  However,  it  is  not  fair  to  thrust  your 
company  upon  others,  nor  compel  a  courtesy 
from  any  one.  Try  to  remember  too,  that  it  is 
nothing  wonderful  to  camp  out  or  walk ;  and  do 


98  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

not  expect  any  one  to  think  it  is.  We  frequent- 
ly meet  parties  of  young  folks  walking  through 
the  mountains,  who  do  great  things  with  their 
tongues,  but  not  much  with  their  feet.  If  you 
will  refrain  from  bragging,  you  can  speak  of  your 
short  marches  without  exciting  contempt. 

Avoid  as  much  as  possible  asking  another 
member  of  the  party  to  do  your  work,  or  to  wait 
upon  you :  it  is  surprising  how  easily  you  can 
make  yourself  disliked  by  asking  a  few  trifling 
favors  of  one  who  is  tired  and  hungry. 

MOSQUITOES,    BLACK   FLIES,    AND    MIDGE. 

These  pests  will  annoy  you  exceedingly  almost 
everywhere  in  the  summer.  In  the  daytime 
motion  and  perspiration  keep  them  off  to  some 
extent.  At  night,  or  when  lying  down,  you  can 
do  no  better  than  to  cover  yourself  so  that  they 
cannot  reach  your  body,  and  have  a  mosquito- 
bar  of  some  sort  over  your  head.  The  sim- 
plest thing  is  a  square  yard  of  mosquito-netting 
thrown  over  the  head,  and  tucked  in  well.  You 
will  need  to  have  your  hat  first  thrown  over  the 
head,  and  your  shirt-collar  turned  up,  to  prevent 
the  mosquitoes  reaching  through  the  mesh  to 
your  face  and  neck. 

A  better  way  than  this  is  to  make  a  box-shaped 
mosquito-bar,  large  enough  to  stretch  across  the 
head  of  the  bed,  and  cover  the  heads  and  shoul- 


MOSQUITOES,  BLACK  FLIES,   AND  MIDGE.  99 

ders  of  all  that  sleep  in  the  tent.  It  should  be 
six  or  eight  feet  long,  twenty  to  twenty-six 
inches  wide,  and  one  yard  or  more  high.  It 
will  be  more  durable,  but  not  quite  so  well  ven- 
tilated, if  the  top  is  made  of  light  cloth  instead 
of  netting.  The  seams  should  be  bound  with 
stout  tape,  and  the  sides  and  ends  "  gathered  " 
considerably  in  sewing  them  to  the  top.  Even 
then  the  side  that  falls  over  the  shoulders  of  the 
sleepers  may  not  be  loose  enough  to  fill  the  hol- 
lows between  them  ;  the  netting  will  then  have  to 
be  tucked  under  the  blanket,  or  have  something 
thrown  over  its  lower  edge. 

Sew  loops  or  strings  on  the  four  upper  corners, 
and  corresponding  loops  or  strings  on  the  tent, 
so  that  you  can  tie  up  the  bar. 

Bobbinet  lace  is  better  than  the  common  net- 
ting for  all  of  these  purposes.  It  comes  in 
pieces  twelve  to  fourteen  yards  long,  and  two 
yards  wide.  You  cannot  often  find  it  for  sale  ; 
but  the  large  shops  in  the  principal  cities  that 
do  a  great  business  by  correspondence  can  send 
it  to  you. 

Oil  of  cedar  and  oil  of  pennyroyal  are  recom- 
mended as  serviceable  in  driving  off  mosquitoes, 
and  there  are  patented  compounds  whose  labels 
pretend  great  things  :  you  will  try  them  only 
once,  I  think. 

Ammoniated  opodeldoc  rubbed  upon  the  bites 


100  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

will  in  a  great  measure  stop  the  itching,  and 
hasten  the  cure. 

They  say  that  a  little  gunpowder  flashed  in 
the  tent  will  drive  out  flies  and  mosquitoes.  I 
saw  a  man  try  it  once,  but  noticed  that  he  him- 
self went  out  in  a  great  hurry,  while  the  flies,  if 
they  went  at  all,  were  back  again  before  he  was. 

A  better  thing,  really  the  best,  is  a  smudge 
made  by  building  a  small  fire  to  the  windward  of 
your  tent,  and  nearly  smothering  it  with  chips, 
moss,  bark,  or  rotten  wood.  If  you  make  the 
smudge  in  an  old  pan  or  pot,  you  can  move  it 
about  as  often  as  the  wind  changes. 

HOW    TO    SKIN    FISH. 

When  you  camp  by  the  seaside,  you  will  catch 
cunners  and  other  fish  that  need  skinning.  Let 
no  one  persuade  you  to  slash  the  back  fins 
out  with  a  single  stroke,  as  you  would  whittle 
a  stick ;  but  take  a  sharp  knife,  cut  on  both 
sides  of  the  fin,  and  then  pull  out  the  whole  of 
it  from  head  to  tail,  and  thus  save  the  trouble 
that  a  hundred  little  bones  will  make  if  left  in. 
After  cutting  the  skin  on  the  under  side  from 
head  to  tail,  and  taking  out  the  entrails  and 
small  fins,  start  the  skin  where  the  head  joins 
the  body,  and  pull  it  off  one  side  at  a  time. 
Some  men  stick  an  awl  through  a  cunner's  head, 
or  catch  it  fast  in  a  stout  iron  hook,  to  hold  it 
while  skinning. 


EXPENSES.  101 

Gunners  and  lobsters  are  sometimes  caught 
off  bold  rocks  in  a  net.  You  can  make  one  eas- 
ily out  of  a  hogshead-hoop,  and  twine  stretched 
across  so  as  to  make  a  three-inch  mesh.1  Tie  a 
lot  of  bait  securely  in  the  middle,  sink  it  for  a 
few  minutes,  and  draw  up  rapidly.  The  rush  of 
water  through  the  net  prevents  the  fish  from 
escaping. 

EXPENSES. 

The  expenses  of  camping  or  walking  vary 
greatly,  of  course,  according  to  the  route,  manner 
of  going,  and  other  things.  The  principal  items 
are  railroad-tickets,  horse  and  wagon  hire, 
trucking,  land-rent  (if  you  camp  where  rent  is 
charged),  and  the  cost  of  the  outfit.  You  ought 
to  be  able  to  reckon  very  nearly  what  you  will 
have  to  pay  on  account  of  these  before  you 
spend  a  cent.  After  this  will  come  the  calcu- 
lation whether  to  travel  at  all  by  rail,  supposing 
you  wish  to  go  a  hundred  miles  to  reach  the 
seaside  where  you  propose  to  camp,  or  the 
mountains  you  want  to  climb.  If  you  have  a 
horse  and  wagon,  or  are  going  horseback,  it  will 
doubtless  be  cheaper  to  march  than  to  ride  and 
pay  freight.  If  time  is  plenty  and  money  is 

l  The  mesh  of  a  net  is  measured  by  pulling  it  diagonally  as  far 
as  possible,  and  finding  the  distance  from  knot  to  knot ;  consequently 
a  three-inch  mesh  will  open  so  as  to  make  a  square  of  about  an  inch 
and  a  half. 


102  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

scarce,  you  may  perhaps  be  able  to  walk  the  dis- 
tance cheaper  than  to  go  by  rail ;  but,  if  you 
lodge  at  hotels,  you  will  find  it  considerably 
more  expensive.  The  question  then  is  apt  to 
turn  on  whether  the  hundred  miles  is  worth  see- 
ing, and  whether  it  is  so  thickly  settled  as  to 
prevent  your  camping. 

To  walk  a  hundred  miles,  carrying  your  kit  all 
the  way,  will  take  from  one  to  two  weeks,  accord- 
ing to  your  age,  strength,  and  the  weather.  We 
have  already  stated  that  there  is  little  pleasure  in 
walking  more  than  sixty  miles  a  week.  But  if 
you  wish  to  go  as  fast  as  you  can,  and  have  taken 
pains  to  practise  walking  before  starting,  and 
can  buy  your  food  in  small  quantities  daily,  and 
can  otherwise  reduce  your  baggage,  you  can 
make  the  hundred  miles  in  a  week  without  diffi- 
culty, and  more  if  it  is  necessary,  unless  there  is 
much  bad  weather. 

The  expense  for  food  will  also  vary  according 
to  one's  will ;  but  it  need  not  be  heavy  if  you 
can  content  yourself  with  simple  fare.  You  can 
hardly  live  at  a  cheaper  rate  than  the  follow- 
ing:— 

ONE  WEEK'S  SUPPLY  FOR  TWO  MEN. 

Ten  pounds  of  pilot-bread ;  eight  pounds  of 
salt  pork ;  one  pound  of  coffee  (roasted  and 
ground) ;  one  to  two  pounds  of  sugar  (granu- 


ONE    WEEK'S  SUPPLY  FOR    TWO 

lated) ;  thirty  pounds  of  potatoes  (half  a  bushel).1 
A  little  beef  and  butter,  and  a  few  ginger-snaps, 
will  be  good  investments. 

Supposing  you  and  I  were  to  start  from  home 
in  the  morning  after  breakfast ;  when  noon 
comes,  we  eat  the  lunch  we  have  taken  with  us, 
and  press  on.  As  the  end  of  the  day's  march 
approaches,  we  look  out  to  buy  two  quarts  of 
potatoes  at  a  farmhouse  or  store  ;  and  we  boil  or 
fry,  or  boil  and  mash  in  milk,  enough  of  these  for 
our  supper.  The  breakfast  next  morning  is 
much  the  same.  We  cook  potatoes  in  every 
way  we  know,  and  eat  the  whole  of  our  stock 
remaining,  thus  saving  so  much  weight  to  carry. 
We  also  soak  some  pilot-bread,  and  fry  that  for 
a  dessert,  eating  a  little  sugar  on  it  if  we  can 
spare  it.  When  dinner-time  approaches,  we 
keep  a  lookout  for  a  chance  to  buy  ten  or  twelve 
cents'  worth  of  bread  or  biscuits.  These  are 
more  palatable  than  the  pilot-bread  or  crackers 
in  our  haversack.  If  we  have  a  potato  left  from 
breakfast,  we  cook  and  eat  it  now.  We  cut  off 
a  slice  of  the  corned  beef,  and  take  a  nibble  at 
the  ginger-snaps.  If  we  think  we  can  afford 
three  or  four  cents  more,  we  buy  a  pint  of  milk, 

1  The  field  allowance  in  the  United  States  army  is  nearly  i£  pounds 
of  coffee  and  2^  pounds  of  sugar  (damp  brown)  for  two  men  seven 
days ;  the  bread  and  pork  ration  is  also  larger  than  that  above  given ; 
but  the  allowance  of  potatoes  is  almost  nothing. 


104  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

and  make  a  little  dip-toast.  And  so  we  go ; 
sometimes  we  catch  a  fish,  or  pass  an  orchard 
whose  owner  gives  us  all  the  windfalls  we  want. 
We  pick  berries  too ;  and  keep  a  sharp  look- 
out that  we  supply  ourselves  in  season  when 
our  pilot-bread,  sugar,  pork,  and  butter  run 
low.  Some  days  we  overtake  farmers  driving 
ox-carts  or  wagons  ;  we  throw  our  kits  aboard, 
and  walk  slowly  along,  willing  to  lose  a  little 
time  to  save  our  aching  shoulders.  And  in  due 
time,  if  no  accident  befalls,  nor  rainy  weather 
detains  us,  we  arrive  at  our  seashore  or  moun- 
tain. 

You  may  like  to  know  that  this  is  almost  an 
exact  history,  at  least  as  far  as  eating  is  con- 
cerned, of  a  twelve  days'  tramp  I  once  went  on  in 
company  with  two  other  boys.  There  was  about 
five  dollars  in  the  party,  and  nearly  two  dollars 
of  this  was  spent  in  paying  toll  on  a  boat  that 
we  took  through  a  canal  a  part  of  the  way.  We 
carried  coffee,  sugar,  pork,  and  beef  from  home, 
and  ate  potatoes  three  times  a  day.  We  had  a 
delightful  time,  and  came  home  fattened  up 
somewhat ;  but  I  will  admit  that  I  did  not  call 
for  potatoes  when  I  got  back  to  my  father's 
table,  for  some  days. 

In  general,  however,  it  will  be  noticed  that 
those  who  camp  out  for  the  season,  or  go  on 
walking-tours,  do  so  at  a  moderate  expense 


ADVICE   TO  PARENTS.  105 

because  they  start  with  the  determination  to 
make  it  cheap.  For  this  purpose  they  content 
themselves  with  old  clothes,  which  they  fit  over 
or  repair,  take  cooking-utensils  from  their  own 
kitchen,  and,  excepting  in  the  matter  of  canned 
foods,  do  not  live  very  differently  from  what 
they  do  at  home. 

Nearly  all  the  parties  of  boys  that  I  have 
questioned  spend  all  the  money  they  have,  be  it 
little  or  much.  Generally  those  I  have  met 
walking  or  camping  seem  to  be  impressed  with 
the  magnitude  of  their  operations,  and  to  be 
carrying  constantly  with  them  the  determination 
to  spend  their  funds  sparingly  enough  to  reach 
home  without  begging.  It  is  not  bad  practice 
for  a  young  man. 

Here  I  wish  to  say  a  word  to  parents  —  hav- 
ing been  a  boy  myself,  and  being  now  a  father. 
Let  your  boys  go  when  summer  comes ;  put 
them  to  their  wits  ;  do  not  let  them  be  extrava- 
gant, nor  have  money  to  pay  other  men  for  work- 
ing for  them.  It  is  far  better  for  them  to  move 
about  than  to  remain  in  one  place  all  the  time. 
The  last,  especially  if  the  camp  is  near  some 
place  of  public  resort,  tends  to  encourage  idle- 
ness and  dissipation. 

When  you  return  home  again  from  a  tour  of 
camping,  and  go  back  to  a  sedentary  life,  re- 
member that  vou  do  not  need  to  eat  all  that 


106  HOW  TO  CAMP  OUT. 

your  appetite  calls  for.  You  may  make  yourself 
sick  if  you  go  on  eating  such  meals  as  you  have 
been  digesting  in  camp.  You  are  apt  also  upon 
your  return  to  feel  as  you  did  on  the  first  and 
second  days  of  your  tour ;  this  is  especially  liable 
to  be  the  case  if  you  have  overworked  yourself, 
or  have  not  had  enough  sleep. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

DIARY. 

BY  all  means  keep  a  diary :  the  act  of  writing 
will  help  you  to  remember  these  good  times,  and 
the  diary  will  prove  the  pleasantest  of  reading  in 
after-years.  It  is  not  an  easy  thing  to  write  in 
camp  or  on  the  march,  but  if  it  costs  you  an 
effort  you  will  prize  it  all  the  more.  I  beg  you 
to  persevere,  and,  if  you  fail,  to  "  try,  try  again." 
I  cannot  overcome  the  desire  to  tell  you  the 
results  of  my  experience  in  diary-writing ;  for  I 
have  tried  it  long,  and  under  many  different 
circumstances.  They  are  as  follows  :  — 

First,  any  thing  written  at  the  time  is  far  bet- 
ter than  no  record  at  all  ;  so,  if  you  can  only 
write  a  pocket  diary  with  lead  pencil,  do  that. 

Second,  All  such  small  diaries,  scraps,  letters, 
and  every  thing  written  illegibly  or  with  lead 
pencil,  are  difficult  to  preserve  or  to  read,  and 
are  very  unhandy  for  reference. 

Third,  It  is  great  folly  to  persuade  yourself 
that  after  taking  notes  for  a  week  or  two,  or 

107 


io8  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

writing  a  hurried  sketch,  you  can  extend  or  copy 
and  illuminate  at  your  leisure. 

Consequently,  write  what  you  can,  and  let  it 
stand  with  all  its  blots,  errors,  and  nonsense. 
And  be  careful,  when  you  are  five  years  older, 
not  to  go  through  the  diary  with  eraser  and 
scissors  ;  for,  if  you  live  still  another  five  years, 
nothing  will  interest  you  more  than  this  diary 
with  all  its  defects. 

I  find  after  having  written  many  diaries  of 
many  forms,  that  I  have  now  to  regret  I  did  not 
at  first  choose  some  particular  size,  say  "  letter- 
size,"  and  so  have  had  all  my  diaries  uniform.  I 
will  never  again  use  "  onion-skin,"  which  is  too 
thin,  nor  any  odd-shaped,  figured,  cheap,  or 
colored  paper.  I  do  not  like  those  large  printed 
diaries  which  give  you  just  a  page  or  half-page  a 
day,  nor  a  paper  whose  ruling  shows  conspicu- 
ously. 

I  like  best  when  at  home  to  write  in  a  blank 
book ;  and  when  I  go  off  on  a  summer  vacation 
I  leave  that  diary  safely  at  home,  and  take  a 
portfolio  with  some  sheets  of  blank  paper  upon 
which  to  write  the  diary,  and  mail  them  as  fast 
as  written.  These  answer  for  letters  to  the 
friends  at  home,  and  save  writing  any  more  to 
them.  They  also,  when  bound,  form  a  diary  ex- 
clusively of  travels.  When  I  return  I  write  an 
epitome  in  the  home-diary,  and  thus  prevent  a 


DIARY.  109 

break  of  dates  in  that  book.  The  paper  for  the 
diary  of  travels  is  strong,  but  rather  thin  and 
white.  I  buy  enough  of  it  at  once  to  make  a 
volume,  and  thus  have  the  diary  sheets  uniform. 

I  am  quite  sure  that  you  will  do  well  to  write 
a  diary  of  your  summer  vacation,  upon  the  plan 
just  named,  whether  you  keep  one  at  home  or 
not.  Try  to  do  it  well,  but  do  not  undertake  too 
much.  Write  facts  such  as  what  you  saw,  heard, 
did,  and  failed  to  do ;  but  do  not  try  to  write 
poetry  or  fine  writing  of  any  kind.  Mention 
what  kind  of  weather  ;  but  do  not  attempt  a 
meteorological  record  unless  you  have  a  special 
liking  for  that  science.  If  you  camp  in  Jacob 
Sawyer's  pasture,  and  he  gives  you  a  quart  of 
milk,  say  so,  instead  of  "  a  good  old  man  showed 
us  a  favor ;  "  for  in  after-years  the  memory  of  it 
will  be  sweeter  than  the  milk  was,  and  it  will 
puzzle  you  to  recall  the  "  good  old  man's  "  name 
and  what  the  favor  was.  If  you  have  time,  try  to 
draw :  never  mind  if  it  is  a  poor  picture.  I  have 
some  of  the  strangest-looking  portraits  and  most 
surprising  perspectives  in  my  diaries  written 
when  fifteen  to  twenty  years  old ;  but  I  would 
not  exchange  them  now  for  one  of  the  "old 
masters."  Do  not  neglect  the  narrative,  how- 
ever, for  sake  of  drawing. 

I  have  noticed  that  when  my  paper  is  down  in 
the  bottom  of  a  valise,  and  the  pen  in  a  wallet, 


110  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

and  the  penholder  in  a  coat-pocket,  and  portfolio 
somewhere  else,  it  is  not  so  easy  to  "  find  time 
to  write  "  as  when  I  have  penholder,  pen,  and 
paper  in  the  portfolio,  and  the  portfolio  and  ink 
in  my  haversack.  Under  these  favorable  condi- 
tions it  is  easy  to  snatch  a  few  moments  from 
any  halt ;  and  a  diary  written  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment  is  a  diary  that  will  be  worth  reading  in 
after-life.  If  it  is  impossible,  however,  as  it  so 
often  is,  to  write  oftener  than  once  a  day,  you 
will  do  well  to  make  a  note  of  events  as  fast  as 
they  happen,  so  that  you  shall  not  forget  them, 
nor  have  to  stop  to  recall  them  when  your  time 
is  precious. 

I  have  heard  of  diaries  with  side-notes  on  each 
page,  and  even  an  index  at  the  end  of  the  book  ; 
but  not  many  men,  and  but  few  boys,  can  do  all 
this ;  and  my  advice  to  the  average  boy  is,  not  to 
undertake  it,  nor  any  thing  else  that  will  use 
the  time,  patience,  and  perseverance,  needed  to 
write  the  narrative. 

You  will  find  it  convenient  for  reference  if  you 
make  a  paragraph  of  every  subject.  Date  every 
day  distinctly,  with  a  much  bolder  handwriting 
than  the  body  of  the  diary ;  and  write  the  date  on 
the  right  margin  of  the  right  page,  and  left  mar- 
gin of  the  left  page,  with  the  year  at  the  top  of 
the  page  only.  Skip  a  line  or  two  instead  of 
ruling  between  the  days.  Thus  :  — 


DIARY.  in 

1876. 

Pleasant  and  mild.  JANUARY  1. 

Vacation  ends  to-day.  SATURDAY. 

Jo.  Harding  is  full  of  going  on  a  walk  to  the  White 
Mountains  next  summer,  and  he  wants  me  to  go  too. 

Made  New-  Year  calls  on  Susie  Smith,  Mary  Lyman, 
Ellen  Jenkins,  Christie  Jameson,  and  Martha  Buzzell. 

Warm  again  and  misty.  JANUARY  2, 

Went  to  church.    Mr.  Simpson 's  pup  followed  SUNDAY. 

him  in  ;  and  it  took  Simpson,  Jenks  the  sexton,  and  two 

small  boys,  to  p^lt  him  out. 

Accompanied  Susie  Smith  to  the  Baptisfs  this  evening, 

and  went  home  by  way  of  Centre  Street  to  avoid  the 

crowd.     Crowds  are  not  so  bad  sometimes. 

Still  mild  and  pleasant,  but  cooler.  JANUARY  3, 

Went  to  school,  and  failed  in  algebra.     This  MONDAY. 
X  business  is  too  much  for  me. 

AbeFs  shoe-factory,  next  to  our  schoolhouse,  caught  fire 
this  afternoon  while  we  were  'at  recess,  and  Mr.  Nason 
dismissed  the  school.  We  all  hurrahed  for  Nason,  and 
went  to  the  fire.  Steamer  No.  I  put  it  out  in  less  than 
ten  minutes  after  she  got  there. 

Home  all  the  evening,  studying. 

If  you  are  like  me,  you  will  be  glad  by  and 
by  if  you  note  in  your  diary  of  the  summer 
vacation  a  few  dry  statistics,  such  as  distances 
walked,  names  of  people  you  meet,  steamers  you 
take  passage  on,  and,  in  general,  every  thing  that 
interested  you  at  the  time,  even  to  the  songs  you 
sing;  for  usually  some  few  songs  run  in  your 


112  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

head  all  through  the  tour,  and  it  is  pleasant  to 
recall  them  in  after-years. 

Do  not  write  so  near  the  margins  of  the  paper 
that  the  binder  will  cut  off  the  writing  when  he 
comes  to  trim  them. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

"HOW   TO   DO   IT." 

THE  following  advice  by  Rev.  Edward  Everett 
Hale  is  so  good  that  I  have  appropriated  it. 
You  will  find  more  good  advice  in  the  same 
book.1 

"  First,  never  walk  before  breakfast.  If  you 
like  you  may  make  two  breakfasts,  and  take  a 
mile  or  two  between  ;  but  be  sure  to  eat  some- 
thing before  you  are  on  the  road. 

"  Second,  do  not  walk  much  in  the  middle  of 
the  day.  It  is  dusty  and  hot  then  ;  and  the 
landscape  has  lost  its  special  glory.  By  ten 
o'clock  you  ought  to  have  found  some  camping- 
ground  for  the  day, —  a  nice  brook  running 
through  a  grove  ;  a  place  to  draw,  or  paint,  or 
tell  stories,  or  read  them  or  write  them  ;  a  place 
to  make  waterfalls  and  dams,  to  sail  chips,  or 
build  boats  ;  a  place  to  make  a  fire  and  a  cup  of 
tea  for  the  oldsters.  Stay  here  till  four  in  the 
afternoon,  and  then  push  on  in  the  two  or  three 

i  How  to  Do  It.     Published  by  Roberts  Brothers,  Boston. 

"3 


114  H°W  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

hours  which  are  left  to  the  sleeping-place  agreed 
upon.  Four  or  five  hours  on  the  road  is  all  you 
want  in  each  day.  Even  resolute  idlers,  as  it  is 
to  be  hoped  you  all  are  on  such  occasions,  can 
get  eight  miles  a  day  out  of  that ;  and  that  is 
enough  for  a  true  walking-party.  Remember  all 
along  that  you  are  not  running  a  race  with  the 
railway-train.  If  you  were,  you  would  be  beaten 
certainly ;  and  the  less  you  think  you  are,  the 
better.  You  are  travelling  in  a  method  of  which 
the  merit  is  that  it  is  not  fast,  and  that  you  see 
every  separate  detail  of  the  glory  of  the  world 
What  a  fool  you  are,  then,  if  you  tire  yourself  to 
death,  merely  that  you  may  sa^  that  you  did  in 
ten  hours  what  the  locomotive  would  gladly  have 
finished  in  one,  if  by  that  effort  you  have  lost 
exactly  the  enjoyment  of  nature  and  society  that 
you  started  for !  " 

The  advice  to  rest  in  the  heat  of  the  day  is 
good  for  very  hot  weather  ;  young  people,  how- 
ever, are  too  impatient  to  follow  it  unless  there 
is  an  apparent  necessity.  The  feeling  at  twelve 
o'clock  that  you  have  yet  to  walk  as  far  as  you 
have  come  is  not  so  pleasant  as  that  of  knowing 
you  have  all  the  afternoon  for  rest.  For  this 
reason  nearly  every  one  will  finish  the  walk  as 
soon  as  possible  ;  still  Mr.  Hale's  plan  is  a  good 
one  —  the  best  for  very  hot  weather. 


STILL  ANOTHER    WAY  TO    TRAVEL.      115 


STILL    ANOTHER    WAY    TO    TRAVEL. 

Mr.  Hale  also  tells  an  amusing  story  of  his 
desire  when  young  to  sail  down  the  Connecticut 
River ;  but  he  was  dissuaded  from  doing  so  when 
the  chance  finally  came,  by  people  who  thought 
the  road  was  the  only  place  to  travel  in.  And 
now  he  is  sorry  he  did  not  sail. 

The  reading  of  his  story  brings  to  mind  a 
similar  experience  that  I  had  when  young,  and 
it  is  now  one  of  the  keen  regrets  of  my  manhood, 
that  I  likewise  was  laughed  out  of  a  boyish  plan 
that  would  have  given  me  untold  pleasure  and 
profit  had  it  been  carried  out.  I  loved  to  walk, 
and  I  wanted  to  see  the  towns  within  a  circuit 
of  twenty  or  thirty  miles  of  home  ;  but  I  could 
not  afford  to  pay  hotel-bills,  and  I  was  not  strong 
enough  to  carry  a  camping-outfit.  But  I  had  an 
old  cart,  strong  and  large  enough  to  hold  all  I 
should  need.  I  could  load  it  with  the  same  food 
that  I  should  eat  if  I  staid  at  home ;  could  wear 
my  old  clothes,  take  my  oilcloth  overcoat,  an  axe, 
frying-pan,  pail,  and  a  borrowed  tent  and  poles ; 
and  I  would  learn  the  county  by  heart  before 
vacation  was  over,  and  not  cost  my  father  a  cent 
more  than  if  I  staid  at  home.  Oh,  why  didn't  I 
go  !  Simply  because  I  was  laughed  out  of  it. 
I  was  told  that  people  did  not  travel  in  that  way  ; 
I  should  be  arrested ;  the  boys  would  hoot  at  and 


Il6  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

stone  me ;  the  men  would  set  their  dogs  on  me  ; 
I  should  be  driven  out  of  my  camping-place ; 
thieves  would  steal  my  seventy-five  cent  cart ; 
dogs  would  eat  up  my  stock  of  food  ;  and  the  first 
man  who  overtook  me  would  tell  the  people  that 
a  crazy  boy  from  Portland  was  coming  along  the 
road  dragging  a  baby-wagon,  whereupon  every 
woman  would  leave  her  kitchen,  and  every  man 
his  field,  to  see  and  laugh  at  me.  But,  above  all, 
the  thing  would  be  known  in  our  neighborhood, 
and  the  boys  and  girls  would  join  in  their  abuse 
of  the  county  explorer. 

That  was  the  end  of  it ;  the  being  made  sport 
of  by  my  own  friends,  and  hearing  the  small  boys 
in  our  street  sing  out  "  How's  your  cart  ?  "  and  to 
be  known  all  through  life  perhaps  as  "  one-horse 
John  "  —  the  punishment  would  be  too  severe. 

But,  my  young  friends,  I  made  a  great  mis- 
take ;  and  I  want  to  caution  you  not  to  surrender 
to  any  such  nonsense  as  I  did.  If  you  wish  to 
go  to  sea  in  a  skiff,  it  is  well  to  give  in  to  a 
fisherman's  advice  to  stay  at  home,  for  he  can 
assure  you  that  winds  and  waves  will  be  the 
death  of  you;  but  if  you  have  a  good  hand- 
wagon,  and  are  willing  to  stand  a  few  taunts,  by 
all  means  go  on  your  walk,  and  pull  your  wagon 
after  you.  You  will  learn  a  lesson  in  independ- 
ence that  will  be  of  value  to  you,  if  you  learn 
nothing  else. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 


HYGIENIC   NOTES. 

[This  chapter  is  taken  in  full  from  a  work  on  ornithology,  written 
by  Dr.  Coues  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  It  is  the  advice  of  an 
accomplished  naturalist  and  sportsman  to  his  fellow-naturalists,  but 
is  equally  adapted  to  the  young  camper.  Hardly  any  one  can  write 
more  understandingly  on  the  subjects  here  presented  than  the  doctor, 
who  has  had  long  experience  with  the  army,  both  in  the  field  and  gar- 
rison, and  is  an  enthusiastic  student  of  natural  history  besides.  The 
remarks  upon  alcoholic  stimulants  are  especially  recommended  to  the 
reader,  coming  as  they  do  from  an  army  officer,  and  not  a  temperance 
reformer. 

Those  who  wish  to  become  familiar  with  the  details  of  bird-collect- 
ing will  find  a  treasure  in  the  doctor's  book,  "  Field  Ornithology, 
comprising  a  Manual  of  Instruction  for  procuring,  preparing,  and  pre- 
serving Birds ;  and  a  check  list  of  North  American  Birds.  By  Dr. 
Elliott  Coues,  U.S.A.  Salem:  Naturalists' Agency."] 

ACCIDENTS. 

THE  secret  of  safe  climbing  is  never  to  relax 
one  hold  until  another  is  secured  ;  it  is  in  spirit 
equally  applicable  to  scrambling  over  rocks,  a 
particularly  difficult  thing  to  do  safely  with  a 
loaded  gun.  Test  rotten,  slippery,  or  otherwise 
suspicious  holds,  before  trusting  them.  In  lift- 


Il8  HO W  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

ing  the  body  up  anywhere,  keep  the  mouth  shut, 
breathe  through  the  nostrils,  and  go  slowly. 

In  swimming  waste  no  strength  unnecessarily 
in  trying  to  stem  a  current ;  yield  partly,  and 
land  obliquely  lower  down ;  if  exhausted,  float : 
the  slightest  motion  of  the  hands  will  ordinarily 
keep  the  face  above  water;  in  any  event  keep 
your  wits  collected.  In  fording  deeply,  a  heavy 
stone  [in  the  hands,  above  water]  will  strengthen 
your  position. 

Never  sail  a  boat  experimentally  :  if  you  are 
no  sailor,-  take  one  with  you,  or  stay  on  land. 

In  crossing  a  high  narrow  foot-path,  never  look 
lower  than  your  feet  ;  the  muscles  will  work 
true  if  not  confused  with  faltering  instructions 
from  a  giddy  brain.  On  soft  ground  see  what, 
if  any  thing,  has  preceded  you  ;  large  hoof-marks 
generally  mean  that  the  way  is  safe  :  if  none 
are  found,  inquire  for  yourself  before  going  on. 
Quicksand  is  the  most  treacherous  because  far 
more  dangerous  than  it  looks  ;  but  I  have  seen 
a  mule's  ears  finally  disappear  in  genuine  mud. 

Cattle-paths,  however  erratic,  commonly  prove 
the  surest  way  out  of  a  difficult  place,  whether 
of  uncertain  footing  or  dense  undergrowth. 

"  TAKING     COLD." 

This  vague  "  household  word  "  indicates  one  or 
more  of  a  long  varied  train  of  unpleasant  affec- 


"  TAKING   COLD."  119 

tions  nearly  always  traceable  to  one  or  the  other 
of  only  two  causes, — sudden  change  of  tempera- 
ture, and  imequal  distribution  of  temperature. 
No  extremes  of  heat  or  cold  can  alone  affect 
this  result  :  persons  frozen  to  death  do  not 
"  take  cold  "  during  the  process.  But  if  a  part 
of  the  body  be  rapidly  cooled,  as  by  evaporation 
from  a  wet  article  of  clothing,  or  by  sitting  in  a 
draught  of  air,  the  rest  of  the  body  remaining  at 
an  ordinary  temperature  ;  or  if  the  temperature, 
of  the  whole  be  suddenly  changed  by  going  out 
into  the  cold,  or  especially  by  coming  into  a 
warm  room,  —  there  is  much  liability  of  trouble. 
There  is  an  old  saying,  — 

"  When  the  air  comes  through  a  hole, 
Say  your  prayers  to  save  your  soul." 

And  I  should  think  almost  any  one  could  get  a 
"  cold "  with  a  spoonful  of  water  on  the  wrist 
held  to  a  key-hole.  Singular  as  it  may  seem, 
sudden  warming  when  cold  is  more  dangerous 
than  the  reverse :  every  one  has  noticed  how 
soon  the  handkerchief  is  required  on  entering  a 
heated  room  on  a  cold  day.  Frost-bite  is  an 
extreme  illustration  of  this.  As  the  Irishman 
said  on  picking  himself  up,  it  was  not  the  fall, 
but  stopping  so  quickly,  that  hurt  him  :  it  is 
not  the  lowering  of  the  temperature  to  freezing 
point,  but  its  subsequent  elevation,  that  devi- 


120  HOW  TO  CAMP  OUT. 

talizes  the  tissue.  This  is  why  rubbing  with 
snow,  or  bathing  in  cold  water,  is  required  to 
restore  safely  a  frozen  part :  the  arrested  circu- 
lation must  be  very  gradually  re-established,  or 
inflammation,  perhaps  mortification,  ensues. 

General  precautions  against  taking  cold  are 
almost  self-evident  in  this  light.  There  is  ordi- 
narily little  if  any  danger  to  be  apprehended 
from  wet  clothes,  so  long  as  exercise  is  kept  up ; 
for  the  "  glow  "  about  compensates  for  the  extra 
cooling  by  evaporation.  Nor  is  a  complete 
drenching  more  likely  to  be  injurious  than  wet- 
ting of  one  part.  But  never  sit  still  wet,  and  in 
changing  rub  the  body  dry.  There  is  a  general 
tendency,  springing  from  fatigue,  indolence,  or 
indifference,  to  neglect  damp  feet,  —  that  is  to 
say,  to  dry  them  by  the  fire  ;  but  this  process  is 
tedious  and  uncertain.  I  would  say  especially, 
"  Off  with  muddy  boots  and  sodden  socks  at 
once  : "  dry  stockings  and  slippers  after  a  hunt 
may  make  just  the  difference  of  your  being  able 
to  go  out  again,  or  never.  Take  care  never  to 
check  perspiration  :  during  this  process  the 
body  is  in  a  somewhat  critical  condition,  and  the 
sudden  arrest  of  the  function  may  result  disas- 
trously, even  fatally.  One  part  of  the  business 
of  perspiration  is  to  equalize  bodily  temperature, 
and  it  must  not  be  interfered  with.  The  secret 
of  much  that  is  said  about  bat/ting  when  heated 


"  TAKING   COLD."  12 1 

lies  here.  A  person  overheated,  panting  it  may 
be,  with  throbbing  temples  and  a  dry  skin,  is  in 
danger  partly  because  the  natural  cooling  by 
evaporation  from  the  skin  is  denied  ;  and  this 
condition  is  sometimes  not  far  from  a  "sun- 
stroke." Under  these  circumstances,  a  person 
of  fairly  good  constitution  may  plunge  into  the 
water  with  impunity,  even  with  benefit.  But,  if 
the  body  be  already  cooling  by  sweating,  rapid 
abstraction  of  heat  from  the  surface  may  cause 
internal  congestion,  never  unattended  with  dan- 
ger. 

Drinking  ice-water  offers  a  somewhat  parallel 
case  ;  even  on  stopping  to  drink  at  the  brook, 
when  flushed  with  heat,  it  is  well  to  bathe  the 
face  and  hands  first,  and  to  taste  the  water  before 
a  full  draught.  It  is  a  well-known  excellent  rule, 
not  to  bathe  immediately  after  a  full  meal ;  be- 
cause during  digestion  the  organs  concerned  are 
comparativey  engorged  and  any  sudden  disturb- 
ance of  the  circulation  may  be  disastrous. 

The  imperative  necessity  of  resisting  drowsi- 
ness under  extreme  cold  requires  no  comment. 

In  walking  under  a  hot  sun,  the  head  may  be 
sensibly  protected  by  green  leaves  or  grass  in 
the  hat ;  they  may  be  advantageously  moistened, 
but  not  enough  to  drip  about  the  ears.  Under 
such  circumstances  the  slightest  giddiness,  dim- 
ness of  sight,  or  confusion  of  ideas,  should 


122  HO IV  TO   CAMP  OUT, 

be  taken  as  a  warning  of  possible  sunstroke, 
instantly  demanding  rest,  and  shelter  if  practic- 
able. 

HUNGER   AND    FATIGUE 

are  more  closely  related  than  they  might  seem 
to  be :  one  is  a  sign  that  the  fuel  is  out,  and  the 
other  asks  for  it.  Extreme  fatigue,  indeed, 
destroys  appetite :  this  simply  means  temporary 
incapacity  for  digestion.  But,  even  far  short  of 
this,  food  is  more  easily  digested  and  better 
relished  after  a  little  preparation  of  the  furnace. 
On  coming  home  tired  it  is  much  better  to 
make  a  leisurely  and  reasonably  nice  toilet, 
than  to  eat  at  once,  or  to  lie  still  thinking  how 
tired  you  are ;  after  a  change  and  a  wash  you 
feel  like  a  "  new  man,"  and  go  to  the  table  in 
capital  state.  Whatever  dietetic  irregularities  a 
high  state  of  civilization  may  demand  or  render 
practicable,  a  normally  healthy  person  is  incon- 
venienced almost  as  soon  as  his  regular  meal- 
time passes  without  food  ;  and  few  can  work 
comfortably  or  profitably  fasting  over  six  or 
eight  hours.  Eat  before  starting  ;  if  for  a  day's 
tramp,  take  a  lunch ;  the  most  frugal  meal  will 
appease  if  it  do  not  satisfy  hunger,  and  so  post- 
pone its  urgency.  As  a  small  scrap  of  practical 
wisdom,  I  would  add,  Keep  the  remnants  of  the 
lunch  if  there  be  any  ;  for  you  cannot  always  be 
sure  of  getting  in  to  supper. 


S  TIMULA  TIOJV.  1 23 


STIMULATION. 

When  cold,  fatigued,  depressed  in  mind,  and 
on  other  occasions,  you  may  feel  inclined  to 
resort  to  artificial  stimulus.  Respecting  this 
many-sided  theme  I  have  a  few  words  to  offer  — 
of  direct  bearing  on  the  collector's  case.  It 
should  be  clearly  understood,  in  the  first  place, 
that  a  stimulant  confers  no  strength  whatever : 
it  simply  calls  the  powers  that  be  into  increased 
action,  at  their  own  expense.  Seeking  real 
strength  in  stimulus  is  as  wise  as  an  attempt 
to  lift  yourself  up  by  your  boot-straps.  You 
may  gather  yourself  to  leap  the  ditch,  and  you 
clear  it ;  but  no  such  muscular  energy  can  be 
sustained  :  exhaustion  speedily  renders  further 
expenditure  impossible.  But  now  suppose  a 
very  powerful  mental  impression  be  made,  say 
the  circumstance  of  a  succession  of  ditches  in 
front,  and  a  mad  dog  behind :  if  the  stimulus  of 
terror  be  sufficiently  strong,  you  may  leap  on  till 
you  drop  senseless.  Alcoholic  stimulus  is  a  par- 
allel case,  and  is  not  seldom  pushed  to  the  same 
extreme.  Under  its  influence  you  never  can  tell 
when  you  are  tired ;  the  expenditure  goes  on, 
indeed,  with  unnatural  rapidity,  only  it  is  not 
felt  at  the  time  ;  but  the  upshot  is,  you  have  all 
the  original  fatigue  to  endure  and  to  recover 
from,  plus  the  fatigue  resulting  from  over-exci- 


124  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

tation  of  the  system.  Taken  as  a  fortification 
against  cold,  alcohol  is  as  unsatisfactory  as  a 
remedy  for  fatigue.  Insensibility  to  cold  does 
not  imply  protection.  The  fact  is,  the  exposure 
is  greater  than  before ;  the  circulation  and 
respiration  being  hurried,  the  waste  is  greater ; 
and,  as  sound  fuel  cannot  be  immediately  sup- 
plied, the  temperature  of  the  body  is  soon  low- 
ered. The  transient  warmth  and  glow  over  the 
system  has  both  cold  and  depression  to  endure. 
There  is  no  use  in  borrowing  from  yourself,  and 
fancying  you  are  richer. 

Secondly,  the  value  of  any  stimulus  (except  in 
a  few  exigencies  of  disease  or  injury)  is  in  propor- 
tion, not  to  the  intensity,  but  to  the  equableness 
and  durability,  of  its  effect.  This  is  one  reason 
why  tea,  coffee,  and  articles  of  corresponding 
qualities,  are  preferable  to  alcoholic  drinks  :  they 
work  so  smoothly  that  their  effect  is  often  unno- 
ticed, and  they  "  stay  by  "  well.  The  friction  of 
alcohol  is  tremendous  in  comparison.  A  glass 
of  grog  may  help  a  veteran  over  the  fence ; 
but  no  one,  young  or  old,  can  shoot  all  day  on 
whiskey. 

I  have  had  so  much  experience  in  the  use  of 
tobacco  as  a  mild  stimulant,  that  I  am  probably 
no  impartial  judge  of  its  merits.  I  will  simply 
say,  I  do  not  use  it  in  the  field,  because  it  indis- 
poses to  muscular  activity,  and  favors  reflection 


S  TIMULA  TION.  1 2  5 

when  observation  is  required  ;  and  because  tem- 
porary abstinence  provokes  the  morbid  appetite, 
and  renders  the  weed  more  grateful  afterwards. 

Thirdly,  undue  excitation  of  any  physical 
function  is  followed  by  a  corresponding  depres- 
sion, on  the  simple  principle  that  action  and 
reaction  are  equal ;  and  the  balance  of  health 
turns  too  easily  to  be  wilfully  disturbed.  Stimu- 
lation is  a  draft  upon  vital  capital,  when  interest 
alone  should  suffice  :  it  may  be  needed  at  times 
to  bridge  a  chasm  ;  but  habitual  living  beyond 
vital  income  infallibly  entails  bankruptcy  in 
health.  The  use  of  alcohol  in  health  seems 
practically  restricted  to  purposes  of  sensuous 
gratification  on  the  part  of  those  prepared  to 
pay  a  round  price  for  this  luxury.  The  three 
golden  rules  here  are,  —  Never  drink  before 
breakfast ;  never  drink  alone ;  and  never  drink 
bad  liquor.  Their  observance  may  make  even 
the  abuse  of  alcohol  tolerable.  Serious  objec- 
tions, for  a  naturalist  at  least,  are  that  science, 
viewed  through  a  glass,  seems  distant  and  uncer- 
tain, while  the  joys  of  rum  are  immediate  and 
unquestionable;  and  that  intemperance,  being 
an  attempt  to  defy  certain  physical  laws,  is  there- 
fore eminently  unscientific. 

Besides  the  above  good  advice  by  Dr.  Coues, 
the  following  may  prove  useful  to  the  camper  :  — 


126  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

Diarrhoea  may  result  from  overwork  and  glut- 
tony combined,  and  from  eating  indigestible  or 
uncooked  food,  and  from  imperfect  protection  of 
the  stomach.  "  Remove  the  cause,  and  the  effect 
will  cease."  A  flannel  bandage  six  to  twelve 
inches  wide,  worn  around  the  stomach,  is  good 
as  a  preventive  and  cure. 

The  same  causes  may  produce  cholera  mor- 
bus ;  symptoms,  violent  vomiting  and  purging, 
faintness,  and  spasms  in  the  arms  and  limbs. 
Unless  accompanied  with  cramp  (which  is  not 
usual),  nature  will  work  its  own  cure.  Give 
warm  drinks  if  you  have  them.  Do  not  get 
frightened,  but  keep  the  patient  warm,  and  well 
protected  from  a  draught  of  air. 

The  liability  to  costiveness,  and  the  remedies 
therefor,  are  noted  on  p.  55  of  this  book. 

A  very  rare  occurrence,  but  a  constant  dread 
with  some  people,  is  an  insect  crawling  into  the 
ear.  If  you  have  oil,  spirits  of  turpentine,  or 
alcoholic  liquor  at  hand,  fill  the  ear  at  once.  If 
you  have  not  these,  use  coffee,  tea,  warm  water 
(not  too  hot),  or  almost  any  liquid  which  is  not 
hurtful  to  the  skin. 

MARSHALL   HALL'S   READY  METHOD    IN   SUFFOCA- 
TION,   DROWNING,    ETC. 

ist,  Treat  the  patient  instantly  on  the  spot,  in 
the  open  air,  freely  exposing  the  face,  neck,  and 
chest  to  the  breeze,  except  in  severe  weather. 


READY  METHOD  IN  SUFFOCATION.      127 

2d,  In  order  to  clear  the  throat,  place  the  pa- 
tient gently  on  the  face,  with  one  wrist  under 
the  forehead,  that  all  fluid,  and  the  tongue  itself, 
may  fall  forward,  and  leave  the  entrance  into 
the  windpipe  free. 

3d,  To  excite  respiration,  turn  the  patient 
slightly  on  his  side,  and  apply  some  irritating  or 
stimulating  agent  to  the  nostrils,  as  veratrine, 
dilute  ammonia,  &c. 

4th,  Make  the  face  warm  by  brisk  friction  ; 
then  dash  cold  water  upon  it. 

5th,  If  not  successful,  lose  no  time  ;  but,  to 
imitate  respiration,  place  the  patient  on  his  face, 
and  turn  the  body  gently  but  completely  on  the 
side  and  a  little  beyond,  then  again  on  the  face, 
and  so  on  alternately.  Repeat  these  movements 
deliberately  and  perseveringly,  fifteen  times  only 
in  a  minute.  (When  the  patient  lies  on  the 
thorax,  this  cavity  is  compressed  by  the  weight  of 
the  body,  and  ^rpiration  takes  place.  When  he 
is  turned  on  the  side,  this  pressure  is  removed, 
and  Aspiration  occurs.) 

6th,  When  the  prone  position  is  resumed, 
make  a  uniform  and  efficient  pressure  along  the 
spine,  removing  the  pressure  immediately,  before 
rotation  on  the  side.  (The  pressure  augments 
the  £*piration,  the  rotation  commences  Aspira- 
tion.) Continue  these  measures. 

7th,  Rub  the  limbs  upward,  with  firm  pressure 


128  HOW  TO   CAMP  OUT. 

and  with  energy.  (The  object  being  to  aid  the 
return  of  venous  blood  to  the  heart.) 

8th,  Substitute  for  the  patient's  wet  clothing, 
if  possible,  such  other  covering  as  can  be  in- 
stantly procured,  each  bystander  supplying  a 
coat  or  cloak,  &c.  Meantime,  and  from  time  to 
time,  to  excite  inspiration,  let  the  surface  of  the 
body  be  slapped  briskly  with  the  hand. 

9th,  Rub  the  body  briskly  till  it  is  dry  and 
warm,  then  dash  cold  water  upon  it,  and  repeat 
the  rubbing. 

Avoid  the  immediate  removal  of  the  patient, 
as  it  involves  a  dangerous  loss  of  time ;  also  the 
use  of  bellows  or  any  forcing  instrument ;  also 
the  warm  bath  and  all  rough  treatment. 

POISONS. 

In  all  cases  of  poisoning,  the  first  step  is  to 
evacuate  the  stomach.  This  should  be  effected 
by  an  emetic  which  is  quickly  obtained,  and 
most  powerful  and  speedy  in  its  operation.  Such 
are,  powdered  mustard  (a  large  tablespoonful  in 
a  tumblerful  of  warm  water),  powdered  alum  (in 
half-ounce  doses),  sulphate  of  zinc  (ten  to  thirty 
grains),  tartar  emetic  (one  to  two  grains)  com- 
bined with  powdered  ipecacuanha  (twenty  grains), 
and  sulphate  of  copper  (two  to  five  grains). 
When  vomiting  has  already  taken  place,  copious 
draughts  of  warm  water  or  warm  mucilaginous 


PARTING  ADVICE.  129 

drinks  should  be  given,  to  keep  up  the  effect  till 
the  poisoning  substance  has  been  thoroughly 
evacuated. 

PARTING   ADVICE. 

Be  independent,  but  not  impudent.  See  all 
you  can,  and  make  the  most  of  your  time ; 
"  time  is  money  ;  "  and,  when  you  grow  older, 
you  may  find  it  even  more  difficult  to  command 
time  than  money. 


INDEX. 


Accidents,  boy  run  over,  34. 

how  to  avoid,  117. 
Advice  to  parents,  105. 
Afoot,  ways  to  travel,  9-24. 
Alcoholic  stimulants,  55,  123. 
Ammoniated  opoldeldoc  for  bites,  99. 
Appetite,  none  first  days,  55. 

on  return  home,  105. 
A-tents,  75-79,  95. 

too  small  for  ladies,  95. 
Babies  in  camp,  94. 
Baggage:  — 

Barrel,  32. 

Blanket,  16-19. 

Candles  and  lamps,  61. 

Clothing,  35-38. 

Cooking  utensils,  42-46. 

Cover  for  wagon,  25. 

Food,  20,  47-49. 

Haversack,  18. 

Knapsack,  16. 

Ladies'  outfits,  94. 

Mattress,  63. 

Overcoat,  ,9,  58. 

Overloading,  15,  90. 

Packing  a  wagon,  26,  32. 

Poles,  60,  73. 

Pork,  how  carried,  48. 

Shirts,  19. 

Stove,  39-41. 

Tents,  72-80. 

Tub,  91. 

Wagon,  31-33. 

Baked  beans,  beef,  and  fish,  46. 
Baker,  Yankee,  43- 
Barrel,  on  march  for  baggage,  32. 
sunk  for  cellar,  48. 
cut  in  two  for  tubs,  91. 
Bathing,  52,  53,  64,  120. 
Beans  and  pork,  how  baked,  46. 
BeckeU  for  tents,  79,  81. 


Beds,  62-64. 

Black  flies,  protection  from,  98. 
Blanket,  woollen,  19,  22,  25,  94. 
instead  of  knapsack,  16. 
lining,  19. 
rubber,  16,  22,  75. 
Board  floor  for  tent,  60. 
Boat,  don't  sail  experimentally,  118. 
Boating,  general  advice,  90. 
Bobbinet  lace  mosquito-bar,  99. 
Boots  and  brogans,  36,  37. 
Brush  or  bush  houses,  69,  96. 
Bug  in  ear,  126. 

Bumpers  for  wagon-springs,  31. 
Butter,  how  to  keep,  47. 
Camp,  60-71. 

Beds,  62-64. 

Brush-houses,  69,  96. 

Candles  and  sluts,  62. 

Care  of  food,  47-49- 

Cellar,  48. 

Children,  94. 

Clothes-line,  61,  64. 
•Cold  weather,  66. 

Cooking,  44,  47. 

Etiquette,  96. 

Expenses,  83,  101. 

Fire,  46,  66-69. 

Flies  and  mosquitoes,  98. 

Hammock,  64. 

Hitching-post,  64,  96. 

Independence,  12,  97. 

Ladies,  41,  93-95- 

Lamp  and  lantern,  61. 

Mattress,  63. 

Mosquito-bar,  98. 

Outfit,  10-13,  20-22. 

Shelters,  69-71,  96. 

Sleeping,  55,  62. 

Stoves,  39-43. 

Tents,  72-89. 


I32 


INDEX. 


Camp-stoves,  39-43. 
Candles  and  candlesticks,  61. 

Fatigue,  54,  56,  122. 
Fiddles  of  a  tent,  82. 

Captain  for  large  party,  25-34. 
Care  of  food,  47-49. 

"  P'ighting  cut  "  to  hair,  n. 
Fire,  danger  from,  68-70. 

Cart,  pulling  a,  115. 
Catching  fish  m  nets,  101. 

kind  of  to  cook  upon,  46. 
for  cold  weather,  66,  69. 

Cattle-paths  the  safest,  118. 
Cellar,  sunk  barrel,  48. 

First  day's  march,  51,  52,  55. 
Fish,  how  preserved,  48. 

Chafing  the  skin,  16,  52-54. 
Cheap  living,  102. 

how  to  skin,  100. 
to  catch  in  nets,  101. 

Children  in  camp,  94. 
Chimneys,  67,  68. 

Fishermen's  treatment  of  cloth,  84. 
Flies  and  mosquitoes,  98. 

Cholera  morbus,  126. 

short  hair  no  protection,  12. 

Cloth  for  tent,  82. 

mosquito-bars,  99. 

how  to  preserve,  83. 
Clothes-line  in  tent,  61. 

Fly  for  tent,  82. 
Floor  for  tent,  60. 

on  camp-ground,  64. 

Food,  20. 

Clothing,  35-33. 
made  early,  10. 

care  of,  47-49. 

for  mountain  climbing,  58. 
at  night,  19,  64. 

Footsoreness,  52-54. 
(see  shoes),  36. 

Climbing  mountains,  14,  57. 

Frying,  44-46. 

with  safety,  117. 
Coffee  better  than  alcohol,  55,  124. 

Frying-pan,  tin  plate,  or  canteen,  44. 
bring  it  on  the  table,  97. 

pot,  41,  45. 
Cold  weather,  what  to  do  in,  66. 

Getting  ready,  9-13. 
Glycerine  for  sunburn,  &c.,  53. 

"taking  cold,"  118. 
Collars  to  shirts,  35. 

Guy-lines  of  tent,  81. 
Hair,  how  cut,  n. 

Compass  points  not  known,  91. 

Hammock,  64. 

_-^-Cooking,  44-47- 
utensils,  20,  42-46. 

Handbarrow,  60. 
Harness,  30,  32. 

stoves,  39-41. 

Hatchet,  20. 

Costiveness,  55. 

Haversack,  how  made,  18. 

Cover  for  wagon,  25. 
Gunners,  how  skinned,  100. 
how  caught  in  net,  101. 
Daily  tour  of  duty,  26-29. 

Hip-pantaloons,  37. 
Hitching-post,  64,  96. 
Horse  and  wagon  for  baggage,  25-34. 
Horseback  tour,  90. 

Diary,  how  to  keep,  107-112. 

Hotels  to  be  avoided,  56,  105. 

Diarrhoea,  126. 

'•'•  How  to  do  it,"  113-116. 

Dishes,  n. 

Hunger  none  first  dav   55. 

to  be  brought  on  table,  97. 
Dish-cloths,  49. 

and  fatigue,  122. 
Hunter's  camp,  69. 

Drawers,  36. 

Hygienic  notes,  117-129. 

Drawing  sketches  advised,  109. 
Drinking  water,  51,  121. 

Independence  in  camp,  12,  97. 
in  modes  of  travel,  115. 

coffee  and  tea,  55,  124. 

Insect  in  ear,  126. 

oatmeal,  52. 

Knapsack,  1  1,  16. 

liquors,  55,  123. 
Driving  a  wagon,  32,  34. 

the  roll  a  substitute,  16-17. 
Ladies  need  a  stove,  41. 

a  stake  into  ground,  96. 

climbing  mountains,  58. 

Drowning,  to  revive  from,  126-128. 

as  pedestrians,  93. 

Dutch  oven,  42. 

outfits  for,  94,  95. 

Eat  sparingly  on  return  home,  105. 

and  children  in  camp,  94. 

before  walking,  1  13. 
Etiquette  of  camp,  96. 

Lamp  and  lantern,  61. 
Leggings  for  foot-travellers,  54. 

Exercise  not  good  after  meals,  50. 

Lime-water  on  tent-cloth,  84. 

Expenses,  10,  15,  23,  26,  83. 
of  trips  to  White  Mts.,  34. 

Liquors  not  needed,  55,  123. 
Lobsters  caught  m  net,  101. 

of  a  supposed  trip,  101-105. 
Farmers,  how  to  treat,  56. 

Lost,  whereabouts,  and  direction,  91. 
Lumbermen's  way  to  carry  pork,  48. 

INDEX. 


133 


Lumbermen's  way  to  cook  beans,  46. 
Map,  study  before  travel,  92. 
Management  of  party,  25-29,  33,  34- 
Marching,  50-59. 
in  army,  50. 
first  day's  troubles,  51. 
second  day's  fatigue,  54. 

Roll  better  than  knapsack,  17. 
Rotten  trees  dangerous,  60. 
Route  should  be  known,  9,  23,  92. 
Rubber  blanket,  16,  22,  58. 
for  tents,  75. 
boots  for  dew,  95. 
Sail-boat,  oo,  1  1  8. 

how  fast,  23,  50,  102,  114. 
hundred  miles  a  week,  102. 

Salve  for  sunburn,  chafing,  &c.,  53. 
Screens  of  bushes,  69,  96. 

"How  to  do  it,"  113,  114. 
Mark  name  on  baggage,  10. 

Second  day's  march  fatiguing,  54. 
Shaving  the  head  not  advised,  n. 

Mattress,  63. 

Shelters,  69-71,  96. 

Medicines,  55. 

Shelter-tent,  17,  19,  70,  72-75- 

Mildew,  how  to  prevent,  83. 

how  to  pitch,  70,  73-75- 

Mosaic  law,  65. 

how  made,  72-74. 

Mosquitoes  and  flies,  IT,  98. 

not  good  for  ladies,  94. 

Mountain  climbing,  14,  57. 
for  ladies,  58. 

illustration  of,  129. 
Shirts  instead  of  overcoat,  19. 

Mutton  tallow  for  chafing,  &c.,  53. 
Nails  in  shoes,  37. 

how  made,  35. 
undershirts,  38. 

Net,  mosquito,  98. 

Shoes,  36. 

to  catch  fish,  101. 

slippers,  120. 

Note-book,  10,  no. 

Sickness  :  — 

Oatmeal  in  water,  52. 

Liability  to,  14,  23,  55,  106. 

Offal  to  be  buried,  65. 

Remedies,  120,  121,  126. 

Oil  of  cedar  and  pennyroyal,  99. 
for  sunburn,  chafing,  &c  ,  53. 

Insect  in  ear,  126. 
Cholera  morbus,  126. 

for  harness  and  boots,  32. 
Opodeldoc  for  mosquito-bites,  99. 

Drowning,  to  restore  from,  126-128. 
Poisons,  treatment  for,  128. 

Outfit,  10-13,  19-22,  102. 

Sinks,  65. 

Overcoat  not  needed,  19. 

Sketching  advised,  109. 

needed  on  mountains,  58. 
Overloading,  15,  90,  102. 

Skinning  fish,  100. 
Sleep  on  a  hay-mow,  23. 

Packing  a  wagon,  26,  32. 

difficult  first  night,  54. 

away  tents,  89. 

for  your  comrades,  55. 

Pantaloons,  37. 

(see  beds),  62. 

in  stockings,  54. 

general  advice  about,  63,  64. 

Parents,  advice  to,  105. 

Slippers,  120. 

Perspiration,  nature  of,  120. 

Sluts  for  light,  62. 

Pillow  carried  by  officer,  21. 

Smudge  for  mosquitoes,  &c.,  100. 

Poisons,  treatment  for,  128. 

Soap  for  footsoreness,  &c.,  53. 

Poles  for  tent,  60,  73,  79,  82. 

tents,  83. 

how  made,  86. 
Politeness,  56,  97. 
Pork  and  beans  baked,  47. 

Socks,  37. 
Sod-cloth  of  tents,  78,  81. 
Soldier's  weight  of  outfit,  15. 

how  carried,  48. 

German,  16. 

Postal  cards  as  stencil-plates,  10. 

rule  for  drinking,  51. 

Potatoes  for  food,  103. 

trousers  in  socks,  54. 

candlesticks,  61. 

preventive  for  chafing,  54. 

Preparations,  9. 

mattress,  63. 

Privies,  65. 

shelter-tents,  72. 

Public  resorts  to  be  avoided,  56,  105. 

rations,  103. 

Racing  with  locomotives,  114. 

Spade,  uses  of,  47,  65,  88. 

Rations,  22,  102-104. 
Recipes  for  cooking,  46-47. 
Reckoning  lost,  91. 

Speed  proper  to  walk,  23,  51,  102,  114. 
Spirits  not  needed,  55. 
Stake,  how  driven,  96. 

Rests  frequent  advised,  50,  113,  114. 

Starvation,  do  not  risk,  21. 

should  not  be  long,  50. 
at  halts,  50,  56. 
to  prevent  sunstroke,  12  1. 

Stays  to  tent,  84. 
Stencil-plate  of  postal  card,  n. 
Stimulation,  nature  and  effects,  123. 

'34 


INDEX. 


Stockings,  best  kind  on  march,  37. 

pantaloons  tucked  into,  54. 
take  off  when  wet,  120. 
Stoves,  &c.,  n,  39-43. 
portable,  39-41. 
inside  tent  when  cold,  66. 
top,  42. 

Summer-houses,  screens,  &c.,  96. 
Sunburn,  53. 
Sunstroke,  121. 
Suspenders,  38. 

Supplies  for  camping  enumerated,  13. 
Swimming,  118. 
Table  manners  in  camp,  96. 
Taking  cold,  ..8. 
Tanning  tent-cloth,  84. 
Tea  better  than  alcohol,  55,  124. 
Tents,  72-89. 

best  kind  to  use,  19,  88. 

made  in  wagon,  25. 

how  to  make  "  shelter,"  72. 

how  to  make  "  A,"  75. 

how  to  make  "wall,"  80. 

how  to  pitch  "  wall,"  85. 

cloth  for,  82. 

cloth,  how  preserved,  83,  89. 

fly,  82. 

Tent-poles,  whether  to  carry,  20. 
how  made,  73,  79,  86. 
hand-barrow,  60. 
Tent-pins,  20,  87. 
Thirst,  51,  52,  121. 
Tobacco,  when  to  use,  124. 
Tools,  25. 

Training  before  journey,  12,  102. 
Travelling  acquaintances,  97. 


Travelling  afoot,  12,  14-34. 
horseback,  90. 
boating,  90,  118. 
expenses,  1 5,  23, 26, 3  4, 102 
how  fast,  23,  50,  102,  114. 
with  hand-cart,  115. 
Trench  for  offal,  65. 

around  tent,  84. 
for  fireplace,  67. 
Trousers,  37-38. 
Tub  in  boat,  91. 
Ventilation,  64. 

Wagon,  general  advice,  25,  31-33. 
made  into  tent,  25. 
man  to  walk  behind,  34. 
Walking,  50—59. 

how  fast,  23,  50,  102,  114. 
at  noon,  114. 

parties  in  White  Mts.,  34. 
one  hundred  miles,  102. 
eat  before,  113. 
Wall-tent,  how  made,  &c.,  80. 
to  pitch  quickly,  85. 
Warm,  how  to  keep,  66-70. 
Water  for  drinking,  51. 

how  to  carry  in  pails,  68. 
none  on  mountains,  58. 
Weekly  supply  for  two  men,  102. 
Weight  of  outfit,  15,  21-23. 
Wet  and  taking  cold,  120. 

clothes,  weight,  22. 
Whims  of  soldiers,  2 1. 
Woodman's  camp,  69. 
Woollen  blanket,  19,  22. 

shirt,  19. 
Yankee  baker,  43. 


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